Call centre gangs becoming desperate, preying on police: minister
Call-centre scammers have been driven so desperate by the government’s intensified crackdown that they are now trying to deceive police officers, the digital economy and society minister said on Tuesday.
Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed all government agencies to join forces to suppress the call-centre gangs and protect the public from their scams.
The intensified crackdown has made it harder for scammers to find victims, so they have even begun calling police officers to try to deceive them, Chaiwut added.
The minister said government agencies are now taking proactive measures to combat the gangs, including seeking cooperation from neighbouring countries to eradicate their bases of operation.
He cited an anti-scamming memorandum of understanding that the Thai government is about to sign with Cambodia.
In another proactive measure, the government would amend the law to punish people who allow their names to be used to open accounts to receive transfers from the victims of call-centre scams, Chaiwut said.
He also thanked the media for publishing reports that raised public awareness of the scammers and how to avoid falling prey to them.
