Bank of Thailand Guidelines for Mule Account Suspension

Khaosod•Economy•16h ago

Reader Briefing

The Bank of Thailand has detailed the risk-based categories for suspending and unfreezing mule accounts to prevent fraud while minimizing impact on innocent users.

•Bank of Thailand categorized mule accounts into Black, Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Dark Brown based on risk levels.
•Account holders must contact different authorities (AMLO, Cyber Police, or banks) depending on the account's risk category to request unfreezing.
•Fraud losses decreased from approximately 8,590 million baht in Q2 2024 to approximately 1,810 million baht in Q2 2026.

Overview

•Sakkapop Phanyyanukul of the Bank of Thailand acknowledged the impact on citizens whose accounts were suspended without criminal intent.
•Bank of Thailand implemented a dual approach focusing on rapid risk-account blocking and accelerating the unfreezing process for innocent users.
•Black and Dark Grey mule accounts, verified by police as involved in crime, require unfreezing requests via the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and Cyber Police.
•Light Grey mule accounts, where victims have not yet filed reports, require unfreezing requests directly with the involved banks.
•Dark Brown mule accounts, identified by banks via abnormal behavior, require unfreezing requests with the bank that detected the suspicion.
•Bank of Thailand uses Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) for cases where evidence is insufficient to verify transaction sources.
•Losses from scams where victims transferred money themselves dropped from 8,590 million baht in Q2 2024 to 1,810 million baht in Q2 2026.
•Bank of Thailand has instructed financial institutions to clearly communicate reasons for suspension and required documentation to affected customers.

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Key Entities

Organization

Bank of Thailand(ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The central bank providing guidelines for the suspension and unfreezing of mule accounts.

Anti-Money Laundering Office(สำนักงานป้องกันและปราบปรามการฟอกเงิน)

The agency responsible for unfreezing Black and Dark Grey mule accounts.

Cyber Police(กองบัญชาการตำรวจสืบสวนสอบสวนอาชญากรรมทางเทคโนโลยี)

The police agency responsible for unfreezing Black and Dark Grey mule accounts.

AMLO(ปปง.)ℹ️

The Anti-Money Laundering Office involved in the mule account management measures.

Person

Sakkapop Phanyyanukul(สักกะภพ พันธ์ยานุกูล)

Assistant Governor of the Payment Systems Policy and Financial Service User Supervision Department at the Bank of Thailand.