Scam losses fall by 2.776 billion baht
Thailand's government says it has suspended more than 1 million mule accounts as part of a campaign against online crime, while reported losses from online scams fell from 6.577 billion baht in January-May 2026 to 3.801 billion baht in June-October 2026.
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Deputy government spokesperson Ploytalay Laksmisangchan announced the figures in a statement dated November 14, 2026. The reduction amounts to 2.776 billion baht, or about 42.2%, between two periods of five months each. The government attributed the improvement to stronger prevention and enforcement measures, including faster coordination to suspend suspicious accounts.
The announcement also highlighted the continuing cost of fraudulent online shopping. Figures from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, through the Anti Online Scam Operation Center, known as AOC 1441, put losses from scams involving purchases of goods or services at 4.798 billion baht between November 1, 2023, and October 30, 2026.
People aged 20-49 accounted for 72.97% of cases in that shopping category, making working age adults the largest group affected. The government warned that criminals can create convincing fake stores and false information, reaching people who use online shopping to save time and find a wider selection of products.
What the decline means in everyday terms
The two periods used in the government's comparison are equal in length, which makes the change easier to understand. Average reported losses fell from 1.3154 billion baht a month during January-May to 760.2 million baht a month during June-October. That is a reduction of 555.2 million baht in the monthly average.
Even after that decline, losses still totalled 3.801 billion baht over the later five months. For households and businesses using online services, the figures show that fraud continued to take substantial sums despite the reported enforcement gains.
The government's comparison concerns money lost across online scams. Its figures for fraudulent purchases cover a specific category over a much longer period, almost three years. Keeping those dates and categories attached to the numbers helps explain why the shopping total is larger than the total for all online scams during June-October alone.
How AOC 1441 connects the response
AOC 1441 serves as the coordination point linking police, the Department of Special Investigation, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Bank of Thailand and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The government said this cooperation was intended to speed up the suspension of suspicious accounts.
Each organisation covers a different part of the response, bringing criminal investigation, financial oversight and action against the movement of criminal proceeds into the same coordination structure. For a person reporting a scam, the practical aim is to get information about a suspicious transfer to the bodies that can act on it quickly.
The government put the number of suspended mule accounts at more than 1 million. A mule account is an account used to receive or move money for criminals, placing an account holder between a victim's payment and the people directing the fraud. Such accounts give scam operations a way to collect and transfer stolen funds.
Suspending an account can interrupt that movement of money. For victims, the next concern is recovering their losses. The announcement gave no total for money returned to victims.
Working age shoppers account for nearly three quarters of cases
The ministry's shopping fraud figures cover November 1, 2023, to October 30, 2026. During that period, losses from scams involving the purchase of goods or services reached 4.798 billion baht.
Adults aged 20-49 accounted for 72.97% of these cases, equivalent to roughly 73 out of every 100. All other age groups together accounted for the remaining 27.03%. The percentage describes the share of shopping fraud cases involving this age group; the baht figure describes losses across the category.
Ploytalay said online shopping had become part of everyday life for working age people. Its convenience allows buyers to fit purchases around work and other responsibilities, but criminals can exploit the same quick transactions with fake stores and plausible information.
The concentration of cases among adults aged 20-49 gives the government's warning a specific audience. People who regularly buy products or services online remain exposed to sellers whose apparent credibility rests on information the sellers themselves have created.
The dates behind the figures
The announcement brings together a cumulative shopping fraud total, a comparison between two periods in 2026 and an account suspension tally. The key dates are:
- November 1, 2023: The start of the ministry's reporting period for scams involving purchases of goods or services.
- January-May 2026: Reported online scam losses totalled 6.577 billion baht.
- June-October 2026: Reported online scam losses fell to 3.801 billion baht.
- October 30, 2026: The end of the shopping fraud reporting period, with cumulative losses of 4.798 billion baht.
- November 14, 2026: The deputy government spokesperson announced the results and renewed the warning to online shoppers.
The timeline places the two central messages together: reported online scam losses declined during 2026, while the longer record of fraudulent purchases shows a continuing burden on shoppers.
Why convincing stores remain a threat
Ploytalay warned that criminals use technology to damage both people's finances and confidence in the digital economy. For online commerce, that confidence matters at the moment a buyer decides whether a seller can be trusted with a payment.
The government specifically warned that fake shops and fabricated information can be made to look convincing. A buyer may therefore encounter a polished sales presentation even when the promised transaction is fraudulent. Checking the seller before paying is central to the government's advice.
Ploytalay, speaking as deputy government spokesperson, relayed the government's guidance to people purchasing goods and services online:
Do not believe, do not rush, do not transfer, and check before buying.
The message asks buyers to pause before sending money and verify the purchase instead of relying on the seller's presentation. It places the check before payment, when the buyer still controls whether the transfer goes ahead.
What to do when a transaction looks suspicious
People who believe they have been scammed, or suspect that a transaction may be fraudulent, were urged to call AOC 1441 promptly so that action can be taken to suspend the account involved.
The government also advised victims to gather evidence and report the incident through the relevant channels as quickly as possible. The instruction applies to suspected fraud as well as cases in which the buyer is already certain something has gone wrong.
The response combines two steps: alerting the centre so it can coordinate action on the account, and preserving the information needed to explain what happened. For online shoppers, the government's practical message is to check before paying and report quickly when a payment raises concern.
Key Points
- Thailand's government says more than 1 million mule accounts have been suspended.
- Reported online scam losses fell from 6.577 billion baht in January-May 2026 to 3.801 billion baht in June-October, a decline of about 42.2%.
- Scams involving purchases of goods or services caused losses of 4.798 billion baht between November 1, 2023, and October 30, 2026.
- People aged 20-49 accounted for 72.97% of cases in the shopping fraud category.
- AOC 1441 coordinates with police, investigators and financial authorities to act on suspicious accounts.
- The government urged suspected victims to call 1441 promptly, gather evidence and report the incident.
