Thai banks warn of cyber scams after surge in fraud

After a cyber scam surge involving Siam Commercial Bank earlier this month, police are warning the public of increased smartphone and call centre scams. Police say they are stepping up efforts to track down such criminals who have sent messages that ask for respondents to send their bank account information in an attempt to steal their money and identities.

Since 2009, the number of internet users in the kingdom has increased almost 3 fold, making it a prime opportunity for scammers to steal private information, as more than 1 in 5 online activities involve a financial transaction of some kind.

The need for increased monitoring has been made clear after 29 SCB customers received an SMS after they contacted its call centre, telling them to send back their 13-digit ID number and a 1 time password or OTP. The scammers then used their information to sign up to a mobile banking app in which…