The Central Investigation Bureau ( CIB ) is placing a high priority on studying online scammers ‘ tricks and behaviors in order to prepare for the constantly evolving nature of tricks, given that the crime trend for 2025 focuses primarily on cybercrime and call center scams.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the CIB Commissioner, just spoke with the Bangkok Post to discuss the state of crime in the last year.
He claimed that between Jan 1 and Sept 30 279, 861 petitions about cybercrimes were submitted to the Thai Police Online ( TPO ) platform, which resulted in damages totaling at least 28.01 billion baht.
Most of the petitions– 123, 865 in overall– involved company scams, while purchase scams caused the highest economic losses of 10.229 billion baht.
The CIB also found that the majority of victims were working-age individuals ( 25–45 years old ) due to their higher purchasing power, followed by elderly people ( 55 years and older ) due to their limited digital knowledge.
Threats will continue to be the main legal pattern in the coming year, according to Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop.
Swindlers are shifting their focus from call center schemes to those that cause even more extensive harm, such as purchase schemes, as the government becomes more aware of how to prevent particular schemes.
Scammers engage in emotional deception to confuse victims into unintentionally engaging in their schemes. According to the CIB’s research, their main goals are to promise incredibly higher income and build a trustworthy reputation.
Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop outlined how to create a reputable image can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including by promoting luxurious lifestyles online, holding seminars, or displaying honours. Additionally, it might require fake identities and celebrity endorsements.
According to him, “CIB studies show that fraud groups promise unattainable profits while presenting strong credentials to increase their reliability.”
The CIB director noted that patients ‘ emotional states, especially greed and fear, play significant roles in schemes. Scammers use emotional ploys to manipulate these factors, including making victims make quick decisions under time pressure.
” These parts are greatly concerning, as they contribute to the future trends in cybercrime”, he said.
Public recognition is essential.
The CIB has long worked with related businesses to advance its public relations efforts to prevent violence, according to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop.
The CIB is working on raising awareness of frauds through online channels, such as Facebook, Line, and TikTok, using genuine cases and patients as recommendations for easier explanations.
He claimed that the project expanded to seminars held in schools and communities, with topics addressing issues like setting up protection features in mobile bank applications and checking for the legitimacy of each call or website, as well as security concerns.
Additionally, the CIB has collaborated with Taiwanese authorities on searches and the recovery of victims of call center scams.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ), whose joint operation targeting the “911 S5” malware network in May, is a highlight of the year, is also a beneficiary of this cooperation.
” We have also worked with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB ) to establish cyber patrol task forces and partnered with AIS to provide a scam-call alert service via *1185#. Also, we launched a area system called Cyber Police Volunteers to help report attacks”, he said.
Despite these attempts, Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop acknowledged the difficulties of battling foreign-based fraud sites.
” We are aware that virtual criminals have the tools and training to carry out their acts,” said the group. Many of these sites operate worldwide, making it difficult for the CIB to take immediate action”, he said.
The CIB has adopted four tactics to clap again at the hoax sites in order to fight crime and properly “amputate” those sites, according to Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop.
One is digital forensics application, such as data evaluation from the TPO for offense trends. It also included the scammers ‘ website analysis, to which authorities are required to pursue financial transactions, such as lender accounts and cryptocurrency, using empirical technology as a key tool, such as IP addresses and the scammers ‘ communication system.
CIB officers are tasked with honing their technical abilities, from learning how to use artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine learning to study scammer behavior to developing and analysing program.
The CIB actively works with mobile providers to search SIM cards and search SIM boxes. Additionally, it collaborates with social media platforms to help prevent inappropriate content before enforcing appropriate laws and procedures in each situation, according to Pol Lt. Gen. Jirabhop.
” We prioritised blocking suspects ‘ access to tools and equipment]to prevent the crime], such as sim cards, internet systems, and even mule bank accounts”, the chief added.
Despite the police’s best efforts, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said that the public is still encouraged to stay away from scams despite their best efforts.
The public should not be fooled by any offers that appear to be too good to be true, he said, and they should check the information themselves if any investments have unfavorable results and offers.
They should always avoid sending money to strangers and clicking on foreign URLs from mobile messages. For greater online safety, police also suggested switching between passwords across platforms and choosing two-factor authentication.
If you suspect fraudulent activity, contact the police and your bank immediately to suspend the affected accounts, “he said”. We advise people to be cautious and seek out expert advice whenever in doubt because scammers rely on psychological strategies to elicit immediate responses, “he said.