Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) is currently developing the “DE-fence” platform to combat fraudulent calls and text messages, as part of a renewed initiative to crack down on call center gangs.
Set for an official launch in early 2025, the ministry has announced that the platform will alert recipients about the legitimacy of incoming calls or SMS, informing them of the potential risk level associated with each contact.
Deputy Prime Minister and DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangthong stated that the platform will collaborate extensively with stakeholders, including telecom service providers, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and various law enforcement bodies such as the police.
Data collected by the Royal Thai Police’s Online Complaint Management Center from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, reveals a staggering 330,000 online reports of technology-related crimes, culminating in an estimated loss exceeding 37 billion baht.
In recent discussions with the NBTC, the Royal Thai Police, telecom providers, and the National Cyber Security Agency, Minister Prasert highlighted a consensus to integrate the DE-fence platform with existing systems to more effectively thwart fraudulent call centers.
This initiative aligns with the ministry’s directive that requires all SMS service providers to re-register annually, ensuring clear identification of SMS senders and better monitoring of scam messages.
Minister Prasert explained that the DE-fence platform would link to the databases of telecom operators, accessing the latest mobile phone numbers.
Additionally, it will interface with the databases of the Royal Thai Police, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC), providing alerts to users about the legitimacy of incoming calls.
Furthermore, before opening a text message, users will have the ability to inspect any attached links for unusual or suspicious signs.
Additionally, the platform will provide an online reporting mechanism and a system for requesting the seizure of criminals’ bank accounts through the AOC 1441 hotline, enabling immediate police response.
The platform will categorize incoming calls and text messages into three classifications: black list, grey list, and white list.
The black list includes numbers identified as criminal by relevant authorities, and users are recommended to block these contacts.
The grey list contains numbers that appear suspicious, either from foreign locations or internet channels. The platform will alert users about the risk associated with these incoming calls or messages.
The white list comprises numbers verified by relevant agencies as safe and includes those from government entities. These are also numbers that users have specifically opted to receive communications from.
The ministry has stated that the initial stage of development for the platform will primarily concentrate on establishing the white list.
