A Thai consumer watchdog has launched civil lawsuits against Meta Platforms, Line Corporation, Apple and local banks, accusing them of allowing scammers to exploit their systems to defraud Thai consumers, resulting in losses exceeding 230 million baht.On June 8, the Thailand Consumers Council (TCC), together with lawyers and representatives of affected victims, filed the civil cases with the Civil Court on Ratchadaphisek Road.
The lawsuits are divided into two groups of defendants: online platform providers accused of violating consumer rights, and financial institutions accused of breaching service agreements, deposit obligations and consumer protection duties.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation and damages, arguing that the platforms and banks failed to prevent fraudsters from exploiting their systems to deceive consumers, despite having legal and professional obligations to detect and mitigate such risks.
Nannaphatsorn Techapanyapipat, the lawyer overseeing the litigation, said all 10 victims involved in the initial lawsuits fell victim to similar schemes.
Victims were allegedly lured through scam advertisements and fake investment education pages appearing on the online platforms before being persuaded to transfer money into accounts controlled by fraudsters.
