By Yoon Sat - Jul 16, 2024

According to reports revealed by the Thai police, the bank accounts of Myanmar workers Thailand are being used in online financial scams.

“These cases are happening before but it becomes much common. The embassy warned the workers before to be careful of people who say they will make bank accounts for them due to these issues. Some brokers kept the workers’ documents and bank accounts at them. This is illegal. The embassy announced that workers can reported,” said a Myanmar worker in Thailand.

Thai police announced on July 12 that they had found and arrested people who used migrant workers' bank accounts for online scams and other fraud in areas such as Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom.

According to Thai police press release, more than 50 migrant workers were tricked into opening more than 100 bank accounts, and the amount of money operating through these bank accounts is close to 3,000 million Thai baht. 

It is said that the MOU workers who are legally working in Thailand are included in these issues and these workers open bank accounts in the banks organized by the MOU companies. The workers had to follow the statements of some agents of the MOU company as they were not familiar with Thailand's bank processes and some agents from the company kept their books with them.

The agents who keep the bank accounts and books of Myanmar workers sold it to the online grumblers and money launderers. It is reported that the Myanmar Embassy in Thailand is resolving and helping the workers to get back the bank accounts and books as the bank account owner Myanmar workers are summoned, issued warrant, detained and evaded due to suspicious cases such as substantial transactions and savings in the bank account.

it is said that it is necessary for Myanmar workers in Thailand to keep bank accounts, book and PIN numbers only at their selves or at the family members.