The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Thailand has issued a public warning about a surge in phone scams. The CIB advises the public to avoid answering calls from numbers starting with +697, +698, or +66, as these are commonly used by scammers.
These scam calls often use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, which allows them to appear as legitimate international numbers. The CIB explains that calls from these prefixes are likely attempts to steal personal data or financial information. They urge individuals to not engage with these calls and to immediately disconnect if they don’t recognize the number.
To assist in identifying and avoiding these scams, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has instructed mobile operators to label these numbers as suspicious. The CIB encourages anyone encountering such scams to report them to the 1441 hotline.