Whoscall, a leading caller ID application, reveals its 2024 annual report, showing a record 168 million scam calls and SMS messages detected in Thailand, the highest in five years. The report highlights the growing use of AI by scammers, corporate impersonation, financial phishing, and a surge in personal data leaks.
Bangkok, February 24, 2025 – The threat of online scams in Thailand continues to be a major concern. Gogolook Thailand, the provider of the Whoscall application, released its 2024 annual report, revealing a staggering 168 million scam calls and SMS messages detected, more than double the number from 2023 and the highest figure in five years. This reflects the increasingly sophisticated and aggressive tactics employed by scammers.
AI-Powered Scams on the Rise
“Since launching our annual report in 2020, we have continued to closely monitor the evolving scam landscape across Whoscall’s key markets,” said Mr. Manwoo Joo, Chief Executive Officer of Gogolook Thailand.
“This year, the combined number of scam calls and SMS detected in Thailand reached approximately 168 million, marking a five-year high. The substantial increase is attributed to the progressively intricate scam ecosystem, fueled by the adoption of advancements in generative AI technology via phone, SMS and malicious links. These tactics encompass impersonation scams, diverse financial scams, and personal data breaches.”
The report showed that scam calls surged to approximately 38 million in 2024, up from 20.8 million in 2023. Scam SMS detections skyrocketed to nearly 130 million, more than doubling from 58.3 million in 2023. The most common scam call tactics identified include fake product selling, corporate impersonation, loan scams, and debt collection scams.
SMS Remains the Primary Scam Channel
Data from Whoscall’s Smart SMS Assistant, which filters messages from unknown numbers, found nearly 130 million scam SMS messages. This confirms that SMS remains the primary channel used by scammers.
The most common types of scam SMS messages continue to be phishing links for loans and gambling advertisements. Scammers have also increasingly impersonated government agencies and private companies, such as delivery services and utility providers, sending deceptive messages related to policies like electricity bill reductions, the 50-50 co-payment scheme, and the digital wallet scheme.
Beware of Malicious Links and Data Breaches
Whoscall has also developed the “Web Checker” feature, allowing users to verify suspicious links on web browsers. In the past year, this feature has protected users from various types of dangerous links. Of these, 40% were phishing attacks aimed at stealing money or personal information, 30% were links to illegal online gambling, and another 30% were links that tricked victims into downloading apps containing malware.
The report also highlighted the issue of personal information leakage. Whoscall’s ID Security feature found that 41% of users had their personal information exposed on the dark web and deep web. A significant majority of the leaked data included phone numbers (97%) and email addresses (88%), potentially accompanied by birth dates, names, passwords, and other sensitive information. Note that it should be email adresses 97% and phone numbers 88%
Whoscall Continues to Protect Users and Businesses
This year’s report indicates that Whoscall protects Thais from scammers over 460,000 times per day. The company remains committed to enhancing its app with AI technology to combat the growing epidemic of online scams.
Mr. Manwoo Joo emphasized, “As scam tactics evolve, Whoscall remains committed to leveraging our AI-technology expertise and data science to build a more comprehensive scam protection network covering all sectors of Thai society. We stand ready to collaborate closely with governments, businesses, and the public to lower scam rates, raise digital scam awareness, and introduce new services with AI-driven technology to safeguard users and businesses across all channels.”
Recommendations for Increased Vigilance
To counter the escalating threat of scams, Whoscall recommends that the public take the following precautions:
- Download the Whoscall App: Utilize the Caller ID feature to identify unknown numbers and receive alerts for scam calls.
- Protect Personal Information: Be cautious when sharing personal information online and be wary of suspicious links or requests. Use the ID Security feature to check for data breaches.
- Verify Information from Official Sources: Use the Auto Web Checker service to check potentially dangerous websites.
For businesses, Whoscall offers Verified Business Number (VBN) to confirm business phone numbers, build customer trust, and prevent impersonation.
Gogolook Thailand will submit this report to relevant government agencies to support public safety initiatives and create communication campaigns for the public.
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More Information: https://whoscall.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/whoscall.thailand
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