Ekniti Reports Deepfake Investment Fraud

Thairath•Economy•54m ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphas reports Deepfake fraud and provides updates on Thailand's actual investment growth.

•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas filed a police report after fraudsters used AI Deepfakes of his face to lure people into investments.
•The Ministry of Finance denied certifying illegal loan applications such as Meetang and Loter.
•Actual investment in the economy for the first 9 months grew 27% to 796,540 million baht.
•Investment in the third quarter of 2026 expanded by 28% to over 260,680 million baht.

Overview

•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas warned the public not to trust advertisements or apps using his face or government logos to solicit investments.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas filed a legal complaint with the police after being a victim of identity theft via AI Deepfake technology.
•The Ministry of Finance stated it has no involvement with and has never certified illegal loan applications.
•Influencer Akkaradech Yothachan reported losing nearly 2 million baht over nearly 1 year to illegal loan apps named Meetang and Loter.
•Actual investment in the third quarter of 2026 grew 28% compared to the previous year, totaling over 260,680 million baht.
•The top three growing industries are Digital, Smart Electronics, and Processed Food and Agriculture.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas plans to lead the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Banking (JSCCIB) and representatives from 7 target industries to a roadshow in Japan next week.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Thairath (Thai Version)Read on Thairath (English Version)

Source: Thairath (Original)

Key Quotes

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas

"I was shocked when I saw it because it looked so real; the mouth moved exactly with the sound. This is the scariness of Deepfake technology."

ผมเห็นแล้วยังตกใจเพราะทำได้เหมือนมาก ปากขยับตรงกับเสียงเป๊ะ นี่คือความน่ากลัวของเทคโนโลยี Deepfake

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas

"I have never invited anyone to invest. Do not believe it absolutely—that someone managing the economy inviting you to invest would be safe. It definitely is not."

ผมไม่เคยชวนใครไปลงทุน อย่าหลงเชื่อเด็ดขาด ว่าคนดูแลเศรษฐกิจมาชวนลงทุนแล้วจะปลอดภัย ไม่มีแน่นอนครับ

Key Entities

Person

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance who was targeted by Deepfake investment scams.

Ben Apache(เบ๊น อาปาเช่)

A famous influencer who lost nearly 2 million baht to illegal loan apps.

Akkaradech Yothachan(อัครเดช โยธาจันทร์)

A famous influencer known as Ben Apache who fell victim to the Meetang and Loter apps.

Anutin Charnvirakul(อนุทิน ชาญวีรกูล)ℹ️

The Prime Minister to whom Ekniti Nitithanpraphas reported actual investment figures.

Narueit Terdsathirasak(นฤตม์ เทอดสถีรศักดิ์)

Secretary-General of the Board of Investment.

Organization

Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️

The government ministry that denied certifying illegal loan applications.

Bank of Thailand(ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย)ℹ️

The primary regulator and overseer of legal financial applications.

Thai Bankers' Association(สมาคมธนาคารไทย)

An organization collaborating with the Ministry of Finance and Bank of Thailand to develop prevention systems against financial fraud.

Meetang(มีตัง)

An illegal loan application that falsely claimed certification from the Ministry of Finance.

Loterℹ️

An illegal loan application that falsely claimed certification from the Ministry of Finance.

Board of Investment(สำนักงานคณะกรรมการส่งเสริมการลงทุน)

The agency providing investment promotion and tracking actual investment figures.

Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry, and Banking(คณะกรรมการร่วมภาคเอกชน 3 สถาบัน)

The private sector committee joining Ekniti Nitithanpraphas for a roadshow in Japan.

Place

Japan(ญี่ปุ่น)ℹ️

The destination for the upcoming investment roadshow.