BANGKOK – A majority of ordinary Thais are deeply worried that their personal bank accounts could be frozen as authorities ramp up enforcement against mule accounts and online scams, according to a nationwide survey released on Sunday.
The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit University—commonly known as Suan Dusit Poll—gathered responses from 1,154 participants across Thailand between September 16th and 19th. The findings show a widespread anxiety among the public, with most respondents expressing concern that legitimate financial activities could be mistakenly disrupted by the aggressive anti-fraud measures. “Even those not involved in any wrongdoing fear they might get caught in the net,” one respondent noted in the survey summary.
This apprehension comes amid a sweeping government crackdown on financial fraud that has seen millions of bank accounts suspended since early 2025. The Bank of Thailand (BoT), together with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, has targeted so-called “mule accounts”—bank accounts exploited by scammers to launder money from call center fraud, investment scams, and other cybercrimes. By mid-September 2025, authorities had frozen over three million such accounts, imposing transfer limits of 50,000 baht ($1,570) per transaction to hinder criminals’ ability to move illegal funds swiftly.
The program, which gained major momentum in August 2025, has frozen thousands of accounts weekly, peaking at around 14,000 suspensions between August 17 and 23, before dropping to about 10,000 in early September. While aimed at recovering assets for scam victims—estimated losses from online fraud reached billions of baht last year—the measures have ensnared innocent users, including small business owners, online vendors, and even expats as we discussed here.
Complaints have surged, with many reporting delays of up to a week in accessing their funds, raising economic pressures in a country already grappling with high household debt and unemployment.
In response to the backlash, the BoT has pledged to streamline the verification process, aiming to unlock frozen accounts within one day—or as quickly as three to four hours—once banks confirm no links to mule activity. Officials stated that only accounts receiving funds from confirmed mule transfers are targeted, but the survey highlights a trust deficit: respondents called for clearer guidelines and faster resolutions to protect everyday citizens.
