The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) clarified the issue of "account freezing," stating that it only temporarily suspended transactions and reiterating that citizens can continue using their accounts as usual.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) revealed that account seizures must be based on suspicious transactions only, and that the seizure is a "temporary seven-day transaction seizure" to verify the financial flow, not a "permanent account seizure." He emphasized that the public should not panic and can continue using their accounts as usual.

September 15, 2568 at 16.00:XNUMX a.m. Professor Emeritus Wisit Wisitsora-at, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DE) The account freeze related to online fraud is clarified as a temporary suspension of transactions for the amount of damage suffered, to allow police time to investigate the financial trail. It is not a permanent account freeze, as many people have misunderstood.

Temporary suspension of transactions is not a permanent account freeze.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy explained that when citizens fall victim to fraud and report the crime to the AOC 1441 Center, the center will coordinate with the bank to suspend transactions in the destination account to which the money was transferred. Only the amount reported by the victim will be suspended. For example, if a scammer defrauds 10,000 baht, only the 10,000 baht transaction will be suspended, not the entire account.

"This transaction suspension is not a permanent suspension, but a temporary suspension in accordance with the law to allow police to examine evidence only on the amount of damage," said the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy.

In the event that the account is permanently frozen

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy stated that permanent account suspension will occur only if an investigation reveals that the account is a mule account. This decision will fall under the authority of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). If a mule account is found, the AMLO can freeze all related accounts, as it is assumed that all accounts are mule accounts.

For individuals whose transactions have been temporarily suspended but are not mule accounts, after officials verify, they will be unlocked for normal use. The Ministry of Digital Economy is expediting coordination with banks to complete the process within half a day.

Confirm that all cases use the same standards.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy emphasized that in every case, whether it is an individual individual or a large company affected by this case, the "same standards" will be used for investigation and action.

He also addressed concerns about potential harassment by wrongly transferring funds to the wrong account, saying, "Don't worry. If someone harasses you by transferring money to the wrong account and then reports you to the police, the transferred funds will only be suspended for that transaction. No other funds in your account will be affected."

Finally, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy urges the public not to panic. If you encounter any online fraud, please report it to the AOC hotline at 1441, available 24/XNUMX, so that officials can provide assistance and take action promptly.

Read related news:

• (15 Sept. 68) The Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) has appointed the AOC 1441 Center to be the auditor and remove the temporary suspension of accounts.
• (September 14, 68) Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society clarified that "stopping the money trail" does not mean freezing accounts, but opening channels to help unlock it.
• (September 13, 68) The Bank of Thailand, the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), and banks will discuss the issue of freezing accounts tomorrow after cracking down on money laundering and affecting honest people.
• (September 12, 68) The Bank of Thailand explains two reasons for negative account balances, expediting the resolution of delayed account freezes.