Mobile SIM registration and mobile banking crackdown

[VincentD]

I have more than one sim card. The one on the smart phone is with True on a monthly plan, I got another top up sim about 8 years ago on a dumb phone (no camera) for when my mum came to visit and now use it as an emergency phone in the car. Oh, and there's also a sim in the car's gps unit that is also a top up card.

[Ralfredo]

Does anybody know how to check what your SIM is registered as please?

The DTAC app shows the name of the person who registered the SIM. Not sure about other carriers.

Where? I have two different numbers active in the app. Both are working, and I'm pretty sure they both were registered "On Site" at Market Village using my passport sometime many moons ago.

In my profile in the app one number say "Unregistered" and the other number says nothing.

Screenshot_2024-05-29_13-02-42.png (91.26 KiB) Viewed 4735 times

[buksida]

Diving into the mule account crackdown
Authorities began checking the names of mobile banking account holders and mobile subscribers on Monday to see if they match, part of a joint effort led by the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry.

The ministry reassured mobile banking subscribers their accounts can still be used normally during the examination process.

DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangthong and authorities working to control mule accounts told users they can continue to conduct online banking transactions during the data examination, which is expected to take 120 days, ending in October.

Mule accounts are often used by fraudsters.

What will happen after 120 days?

Some mobile banking subscribers wondered what happens after the deadline of 120 days, as authorities did not provide a clear outline of the next steps.

Mr Prasert said later the joint panel would deliberate on measures after October, including the possibility of extending the period to conduct the data review.

The ministry expects many suspected mule accounts will be eliminated during the 120 days, he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/ge ... -crackdown

[PeteC]

Checks underway on 700,000 Thai mobile phone numbers of foreigners

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... foreigners

Authorities will verify the names of foreign subscribers of 700,000 mobile phone numbers before deciding whether to terminate their mobile banking services in Thailand in June, according to the minister of digital economy and society (DES).

DES Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong said the mobile phone numbers had been subscribed since Jan 1, 2022. About 700,000 mobile phone numbers registered to foreigners in Thailand together with about 1.8 million mobile phone numbers that had not been registered to anyone would be checked, he said.

According to the minister, the government requires the names of mobile banking service users and the names of subscribers of mobile phone numbers attached to the mobile banking services to be identical in order to curb technology crime. Otherwise, the mobile banking services will be terminated.

The measure was introduced on Feb 1 and mobile banking service users were required to comply with the rule by April 30 (this Wednesday). Otherwise, mobile banking services on improperly registered phones will be terminated in June.

Banks concerned would inform such phone users and ask them to adjust their registration data accordingly by April 30. Those who did not receive such a request from their banks via their mobile banking services could continue to use the services without any problem, Mr Prasert said.

[Big Boy]

I've always been suspicious of Mobile Banking. Is this not giving a bunch of indivuals access to our personal banking detail?

[GroveHillWanderer]

I've always been suspicious of Mobile Banking. Is this not giving a bunch of indivuals access to our personal banking detail?

I'm not sure that it does. As I read it, this requires your bank to ensure that the name registered to the mobile number you use for mobile banking, matches the name on your account. Your bank already has your banking details.

[Big Boy]

Yes, but do they have the resource to take on yet another task dictated by the Gov't? Will they sub-contract the task?

[GroveHillWanderer]

Yes, but do they have the resource to take on yet another task dictated by the Gov't? Will they sub-contract the task?

They could sub-contract it out I suppose, but in any event it's only for numbers registered after January 1, 2022 and if you haven't received a request about it, there's nothing to be concerned about.

As the article says, "Those who did not receive such a request from their banks via their mobile banking services could continue to use the services without any problem"

I've had my same number for about 20 years so I don't think I've got anything to worry about.

[buksida]

Mobile banking crackdown seems to be accelerating ... If the enhanced KYC involves the NDID (as crypto and payments platforms now do), it's bye-bye mobile banking for foreigners.


The Bank of Thailand (BoT) is set to issue regulations for financial institutions (FIs) and payment service providers licensed for electronic money services to combat technology-related crimes in early May.

This follows the Emergency Decree on Measures for the Prevention and Suppression of Technological Crimes, effective April 13.

Under the decree, FIs, payment service providers, telecoms, social media platforms, and digital asset businesses must improve customer protection and take responsibility for damages resulting from non-compliance with regulatory standards.

Key requirements include:

Preventing Account Takeover and Mobile Banking Fraud:
- Implement robust Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.
- Prevent harmful links in SMS and email communications.
- Limit mobile banking access to one account per device.
- Verify high-risk transactions (50,000 baht or more) via facial recognition or biometric anti-spoofing for enhanced security.
- Regularly check for unauthorized changes to the bank’s app.
- Block the app from devices with risky or compromised apps.

Managing Mule Accounts and Limiting Damage:
- Notify customers of transactions without charging fees.
- Suspend transactions and report to the Technology Crime Suppression Center (TCSD).
- Act on names linked to mule accounts from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) or Central Fraud Registry (CFR), including suspending transactions and denying new account openings.

Rapid Reporting of Digital Fraud:
- Provide a hotline or electronic communication for fraud reports, available during and outside business hours.
While the Royal Decree holds service providers accountable for non-compliance, the public is urged to stay vigilant, avoid unknown links, and verify transactions to prevent falling victim to technology-related crimes.

Source: Thai Enquirer

[Big Boy]

That isn't going to bother this dinosaur one little bit

I've never trusted mobile banking, and the need for such drastic measure seem to confirm my fears.

Thank you mobile banking for your service. You forced me to upgrade my perfectly good phone, and were there to pay my wife's hospital bill.................... end of.

[Big Boy]

BTW, what is KYC please?

[buksida]

There is nothing wrong with the technology, its the people that abuse it that are at fault (Chinese call center scammers for example). But, as usual, Thailand punishes everyone instead of targeting just those abusers.

KYC is "know your customer." It means the banks/payment providers will want a lot more ID verification data and proof from customers to access their services - possibly the Thai national digital ID, which foreigners cannot get.

[Big Boy]

My fear is that mobile banking can be abused, and it must be happening for them to initiate such measures. This has to go way beyond hatred of Farangs.

Donosaur that I am, I have proved to myself the technology works.

Come to Thailand and spend, spend, spend, its good for the economy; but we're going cashless and denying Farangs non-cash payment. Whoops........... why do we have so many visitors, but our economy continues to fail? It makes you wonder which MP has the braincell today.

[buksida]

Tourists can't have Thai bank accounts or mobile payments anyway, so it'll make no difference. It's we expats who will suffer if they enforce the NDID requirement, but we are insignificant in the eyes of the government anyway. Every week, a new digital asset or payment platform seems to appear here in their obsession to go cashless but, "farang mai dai" - we're slowly being debanked here.

[Big Boy]

Expats don't just spend a little bit. We bring a fair bit of money into the economy.

The desire to go cashless does seem to be moving at a rate of knotts though. Even on the train last week, the food and drink vendors were mainly dealing in QR Code scanning. In fact, I don't think I saw anybody use hard cash. Things like that just remove any temptation to spend for me.

Losing the ability to scan a QR Code is music to my ears, but didn't I read a couple of weeks ago about a scheme where they are trying to get visitors to put their money into that, which in turn will give access to the full range of banking services? Or is it another case of one side not talking to the other side, again?