According to Thai media reports, Myanmar's border troops recently transferred 61 victims of telecommunications fraud to Thailand in Mae Sot County, located on the Thai Myanmar border. Thai police are investigating and questioning them to gain a clearer understanding of the fraudsters' criminal clues. These victims come from countries such as China, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and have all been rescued from the Myawadi region of Myanmar. Thailand has recently arrested several suspects of telecommunications fraud. Since the beginning of this year, the Thai government has strengthened its crackdown on criminal activities such as telecommunications fraud and online gambling. Recently, the local power bureau in Thailand officially cut off power supply to the Myanmar side of the Thai Myanmar border, involving five power trading points in Myanmar's Mon, Shan, and Kayin states, two of which are located in the Myawadi area, affecting a total power supply of 20.37 megawatts. According to the 1996 Thai Cabinet resolution, local power bureaus in Thailand were allowed to sell electricity to neighboring villages. Previously, Thailand's largest power company, the Local Electricity Authority of Thailand, supplied electricity to five regions in Myanmar. According to the agreement reached between Thailand and Myanmar, if the power supply threatens Thailand's energy and national security, the Thai side has the right to interrupt the supply. The Thai side stated that after investigation, it was found that these trading points are related to telecom fraud gangs. The Thai side has notified the Myanmar side that these transaction points pose a threat to Thailand's national security. At the end of January, the Thai government also approved a bill urging banks, mobile communication operators, and social media operators to increase efforts to ensure user safety. If the relevant parties cause damage to users due to inadequate supervision, they will bear certain compensation responsibilities. On the day of the bill's approval, reporters received a text message notification from mobile communication operators stating that they had started using artificial intelligence technology to protect numbers and would intercept malicious links. The bill also requires Thai telecommunications operators and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to suspend services for SIM cards used by suspected fraudsters. In addition, the punishment for those who illegally disclose personal information has been increased from a fine of 1 million Thai baht (approximately 34 Thai baht per US dollar) and 1 year in prison to a maximum fine of 5 million Thai baht and/or 5 years in prison. According to the latest report released by the Network Issues and Handling Center of the Thai Electronic Trading Development Agency, the agency received a total of 35300 online complaints in 2024, involving online shopping, online gambling, investment scams, and more. The Thai government is developing more effective measures to reduce cybercrime cases by 70% this year. According to data from the Bank of Thailand, Thai bank customers have lost over 60 billion Thai baht due to online financial fraud in the past two years. Spokesperson for the Thai Prime Minister's Office, Jalayu, stated that Thailand incurs daily losses of 60 to 70 million Thai baht due to various forms of cybercrime. In response, the Bank of Thailand announced that it will increase efforts to crack down on the use of "mule accounts" for financial fraud. Starting from January 31st, banks will cease processing suspicious account transactions and must immediately notify customers who attempt to transfer funds to potentially fraudulent accounts. Banks are also increasing their management of accounts related to cryptocurrency trading, especially those that receive funds regularly and quickly transfer them to cryptocurrency exchanges, which will be marked as potentially suspicious accounts and may be subject to transaction restrictions to prevent capital flight. At the same time, the bank will further tighten the account opening process. If the applicant's background information is unclear, the bank has the right to refuse to open an account or impose transaction restrictions. (New Society)