DBD Fights Shell Company Scams, Inspects 117k Nominees

MGR Online•Economy•1d ago

Reader Briefing

Thailand's Department of Business Development is intensifying efforts to combat shell company scams and nominee directors involved in financial mule activities.

•The Department of Business Development (DBD) has significantly reduced the use of newly registered companies as financial mules.
•Scammers are now shifting tactics to purchase existing shell companies, prompting the DBD to warn company owners.
•Proactive inspections are underway for 117,496 companies with foreign investment to uncover nominee shareholders.
•Previous enforcement actions have led to referrals to the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Revenue Department, and economic crime police for investigation.

Overview

•From January 1 to February 15, 2026, only 1 company was registered and used as a financial mule, a significant decrease from previous periods.
•The DBD implemented strict measures (4 orders, 2 announcements) for company registrations effective January 1, 2026, to prevent mule activities.
•Scammers are now attempting to acquire existing shell companies from owners who no longer wish to operate them.
•Company owners selling dormant companies online are warned to be cautious to avoid becoming accomplices to scammers.
•The DBD will proactively inspect 117,496 companies with foreign investment to detect nominee shareholders.
•Inspections will target accounting firms and law firms acting as directors or shareholders in nominee structures without genuine investment.
•The DBD will send data on suspicious entities to the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Department of Special Investigation, Central Investigation Bureau, and Revenue Department for further action.
•Investigations have resulted in 357 cases sent to the Anti-Money Laundering Office, 3,634 to the Revenue Department, and 11 to the Economic Crime Division.

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Key Quotes

Phunphong Naiyanapakorn

"We urge company owners who have opened but not operated businesses and advertise selling the company's shell online to be very careful, otherwise they may become victims of scammers and may also be liable."

ส่งฝากเตือนเจ้าของบริษัทที่เปิดบริษัทแล้ว มิได้ประกอบธุรกิจ และประกาศขายหัวบริษัททางสื่อสั่งคมออนไลน์ ให้ใช้ความระมัดระวังให้มาก มิฉะนั้นอาจตกเป็นเหยื่อของมิจฉาชีพ และอาจจะมีความผิดไปด้วย

Key Entities

Organization

Department of Business Development (DBD)(กรมพัฒนาธุรกิจการค้า)ℹ️

Thailand's government agency responsible for business registration and regulation, actively combating financial crimes.

Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO)(ปปง.)ℹ️

Thai government agency responsible for investigating and combating money laundering and related financial crimes.

Revenue Department(กรมสรรพากร)ℹ️

Thai government agency responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing tax laws.

Economic Crime Division (ECD)(บก.ปอศ.)

A division of the Royal Thai Police specializing in investigating economic and financial crimes.

Person

Mr. Phunphong Naiyanapakorn(นายพูนพงษ์ นัยนาภากรณ์)

Director-General of the Department of Business Development, providing statements on the department's efforts against financial crime.

Timeline

January 1 - February 15, 2026(1 ม.ค.-15 ก.พ.69)

The period of focus for measuring the reduction in newly registered companies used as financial mules.

January 1, 2026(1 ม.ค.2026)

The effective date for strict measures implemented by the Department of Business Development for company registrations.

9 months of 2025 (Jan-Sep)(9 เดือน ปี 2025 (ม.ค.-ก.ย.))

A previous period used for comparison, highlighting a higher number of companies used as financial mules before stringent measures.

last 3 months of 2025 (Oct-Dec)(3 เดือนสุดท้ายของปี 2025 (ต.ค.-ธ.ค.))

A period where the DBD accelerated its proactive efforts, resulting in a decrease in companies used as financial mules.

Stat

117,496 entities(117,496 ราย)

The number of companies with foreign investment that the Department of Business Development will proactively inspect for nominee shareholders.

357 cases(357 ราย)

The number of cases referred to the Anti-Money Laundering Office for financial trail investigations.

3,634 cases(3,634 ราย)

The number of cases referred to the Revenue Department for further investigation.

11 cases(11 ราย)

The number of legal entity cases forwarded to the Economic Crime Division for prosecution.