A Thai consumer watchdog filed a civil lawsuit on Monday against Meta Platforms, Line, Apple, Google and nine banks and financial institutions, accusing the companies of allowing scammers to exploit their systems and defraud Thai consumers, resulting in losses of more than 230 million baht.
LAWSUITS TARGET PLATFORMS AND BANKS
The Thailand Consumers Council filed the case at the Civil Court on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok, arguing that the fraud depended on a chain of services provided by platform operators and financial institutions. It contends that the platforms failed to adequately screen fraudulent advertisements and applications despite widespread complaints, and that the banks should have identified suspicious transactions and intervened.
The council is seeking more than 230 million baht in compensation for a first group of 10 victims, one of whom allegedly lost as much as 165 million baht in a stock investment scam.
According to the council, victims saw scam advertisements on Facebook that directed them to Line groups, where they were later told to download applications from Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store, purportedly to trade shares through legitimate brokerages.
WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS
The council said the lawsuit seeks not only compensation but also stronger consumer protection measures from digital platforms and financial institutions, and aims to establish a legal precedent and support legal reforms.
Saree Ongsomwang, secretary-general of the Office of the Thailand Consumers Council, said global platforms should be held to both a duty to verify and a duty of care, Nation Thailand reported.
The Civil Court has scheduled the first case management hearing for 3 August 2026.