THE government urged the public to not click any scam text messages with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s photo attached asking them to check their rights and the conditions for obtaining the much-heralded, yet-delayed populist handout of 10,000 baht digital wallet because doing so will enable scammers to lock their mobile phones and drain all the money from their bank accounts, Naewna newspaper said this afternoon (July 5).
Mr. Chai Watchrong, a spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, said people in the Northeast, especially in Roi Et, have clicked this SMS and lost all the money in their bank accounts.
“The Prime Minister has acknowledged this incident and expressed his concern for the public. Please do not be fooled.
“When the cash handout project is open for the public and shops to register, an announcement will be made through government agencies with an app “Thang Rath” to be opened for confirming identity, plus other designated channels.
“These will be widely publicised. If other news appears, it is fake news, and we confirm that there is no link to register (for the cash handout),” he said.
Under the yet-contentious handout project, the eligible recipient, aged 16 years or over, may buy a maximum of 10,000 baht worth of merchandise in the boundaries of their home district within a six-month period, beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.
The Pheu Thai-led government intends to spend a 500 billion baht total on their digital wallet project with the planned use of 175 billion baht in government budget for the current fiscal year, plus 152.7 billion baht in the next fiscal year and 172.3 billion baht in “borrowed” money from the Bank for Agriculture & Agricultural Cooperatives.
CAPTION:
Top: An image of a scammer and some cash. Credit: Naewna
Front Page: An image of a call centre scammer. Photo: Thai Rath
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