Home ยป Investigation Report 2566: Thai Citizens Identified as Top Targets of Sophisticated SMS Scams Across Asia

Investigation Report 2566: Thai Citizens Identified as Top Targets of Sophisticated SMS Scams Across Asia

Whoscall is an application designed to identify unknown incoming calls and prevent spam for smartphones. The 2566 annual report revealed a disturbing trend of fraudulent activities through incoming calls, messages, and message links targeting Thai individuals. Instances of annoying scams increased by 12.2 million among Thai people, with the highest number of fraudulent messages in Asia amounting to 58 million, including fake links, fake login links, dangerous malware downloads, and fake pages selling fraudulent goods.

The 2566 report indicated that Thai individuals are at high risk of receiving fraudulent messages, up to 58.3 million messages, with various scams related to loans and online gambling being the most prevalent. New tricks include pretending to be a delivery service provider or government agencies such as the electricity department to deceive victims.

Overall, fraud cases in Asia decreased by 14% from the previous year, amounting to 347.3 million instances involving both incoming calls and SMS messages. This decline can be attributed to the collaboration between government, business sectors, and the public in raising awareness about online fraud dangers.

Thai people are increasingly vulnerable to fraud attempts, particularly through incoming calls and messages. In 2566, there were 20.8 million incoming calls, a 22% increase from 2565, and a 17% increase in fraudulent messages, totaling 58.3 million messages, up from 49.7 million.

Thai individuals receive the highest number of fraudulent SMS messages in Asia. On average, each Thai individual is subjected to 20.3 suspicious messages, surpassing the Philippines and Hong Kong. This escalating issue highlights the importance of raising awareness and vigilance to protect against financial losses due to scams.

Whoscall’s Regional Marketing Director for Southeast Asia, Ms. Thitinan Suthinpraprut, emphasized the high risk that Thai people face of falling victim to fraudulent messages and calls. Cybercriminals continue to evolve their deceptive techniques, using stolen personal data to tailor their strategies to maximize the threat to individuals’ privacy and financial security. By utilizing the Whoscall app as a protective tool, users can stay informed and shield themselves from various forms of scams.

In June 2566, Whoscall introduced a new feature allowing users to verify suspicious links within the app for free or enable settings to check SMS messages with attached links. This initiative revealed that 4.5% of messages contained dubious links, leading to fake login websites (27%), malicious app downloads (20%), and fake online shopping pages (8%).

Fraudulent activities are rapidly evolving, becoming increasingly sophisticated as cybercriminals exploit leaked personal data to refine their approaches. Victims find it challenging to differentiate and are at greater risk of falling for scams. Download the Whoscall application for free from the App Store and Google Play Store through the provided link.

TLDR: Whoscall’s 2566 report highlights the escalating threat of fraudulent messages and calls targeting Thai individuals in Asia, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance and the use of protective tools like the Whoscall app to safeguard against various scams.

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