In 2025 Bangkok’s tech and finance regulators declared war on call-center scams. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has rolled out an eight-point emergency framework – among the strictest in Southeast Asia – aimed at strangling the bulk SIM trade and frozen funds. All new SIM cards must be registered in person or via official apps with valid ID, plus a live facial‐recognition (“liveness”) check. Crucially, foreigners are now capped at three SIMs per operator, and tourist SIMs expire in 60 days with no top-ups. Mobile carriers must monitor unusual call or data patterns and disable services within 24 hours if fraud is suspected. (Incoming international calls display warning codes +697/+698; users can block them.) These measures were prompted by a “surge” in telecom scams and phone‐based frauds. Authorities note that hundreds of thousands of mule accounts have been used to launder scams proceeds: as of January 2025 police identified over 500,000 such accounts and 200,000 recruited intermediaries in call-center rings. The Anti-Money Laundering Office has frozen more than 1.8 million suspected mule accounts and nabbed 2,500 suspects so far. In short, the system now ties every mobile number to a real person – a step that even couples sharing phones feel: the name on your phone plan must match your bank account. Telecom shops at airports and city branches will patiently scan your passport and face before issuing data. The goal is clear: cut off scammers’ supply of anonymous SIMs and money mules. Bulk purchases of stacks of prepaid cards are gone, and border booths can no longer pump in untraceable numbers unchecked.
A Warning for Travelers & Expats
Sunlight streams into a Bangkok bank lobby as a foreign traveler leans anxiously on the counter. A teller inspects his passport and documents under the bank’s new zero-tolerance policies. The man’s face is tense – a snapshot of an everyday ordeal many foreigners now face.
For visitors and expats, the new regulations are urgent and unsettling. Banks have quietly been ordered to treat a customer’s visa status as a financial gatekeeper. As The Thailand Advisor reported this fall, tellers have been instructed: “If you can’t show a long-term visa or work permit, we can’t help you.”. In practice, major banks like Bangkok Bank began turning away tourists and short-stay visa-holders as early as mid-2025. One travel blogger captured the new mantra on social media: “No visa, no bank account.” Simple errands – opening a savings account or even getting a new ATM card – turned into gambles. Many foreign retirees and digital nomads found their existing cards suddenly blocked, with no notice. “I got no warning at all,” recounted one long-stay tourist after his ATM card stopped working during dinner. Across Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya, similar stories of bounced rent payments and trapped airline tickets spread through expat chat groups. Bangkok Bank’s policy freeze on tourist accounts left “law-abiding expats feeling like collateral damage,” one forum noted. Even innocuous habits – paying dozens of customers by bank transfer in one day, or holding multiple accounts for business and personal use – now set off red flags.
Legally, banks aren’t banned from serving foreigners, but branch managers now often give the terse explanation: “Customer intentions unclear.” In short, many travelers who once enjoyed easy access to cash now find Thai banking suddenly complex and conditional. These broad brakes reflect a gamble by authorities: inconvenience noncriminal residents to starve out scammers. The effect has been real angst. Digital nomads at co-working spaces whisper tips on which branch might still accept a 5-year visa, or how to link a corporate phone number to match a company account. Local businesses are feeling it too: a shrimp vendor in Khon Kaen warned her firm relied on QR code transfers from customers; if any large transfer triggers a freeze, her business could collapse. At home or abroad, foreigners now plan for worst-case scenarios – diversifying cash, keeping travel funds accessible – because even a routine card payment can fail under the new regime.
Members Only: Stay tuned for our upcoming in-depth report on how Thailand’s digital nomads are pushing back against these changes – from savvy use of fintech tools to political advocacy. Subscribers will get exclusive strategies to stay ahead of the crackdown.\
Staying Connected and Compliant
There are practical steps every traveler and expat can take to adapt.
First, rethink your SIM. With physical cards under tight scrutiny, many nomads are turning to international eSIM plans. Providers like Breeze eSIM offer Thailand bundles that install instantly on your phone via QR code. As Breeze itself boasts, their eSIM is “an absolute game-changer” for remote workers — no card swapping or border hassles needed. (Just ensure your phone is eSIM-compatible and unlocked.) A top tip is to register any local number in your own name and link it carefully to your bank account.
Second, secure the right visa or permit. Thailand has introduced long-stay options – the five-year “Digital Nomad” Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) and the 10-year Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa – aimed at attracting remote professionals. These visas come with automatic work privileges and require heavy documentation, but they are game-changing. (LTR holders, for example, are exempt from the old rule needing four Thai employees per foreign worker) In practice, it’s safest to enlist professional help. Firms like SIAC Consulting and specialize in visas and work permits. SIAC’s 2025 guide bluntly advises: “To legally work in Thailand: get the Non-Immigrant B visa, then the work permit, then extend your stay… No shortcuts”. In other words, skip any “easy visa” schemes and go through the standard process – it keeps your profile clean. (Once you hold a DTV or LTR visa, banks will have more confidence opening an account for you.)
Third, keep your banking transparent. Avoid having dozens of small accounts, and don’t move large sums through accounts without explanation. If you must hold a Thai bank account, pick a stable branch (Kasikorn and Krungthai are often cited as expat-friendly) and maintain any required savings balance (for example, 500,000 THB for DTV holders). Use official channels for transfers, and if possible use international e-wallets or prepaid travel cards for extra buffers. That way, even if a bank flags activity, you have paper trails showing legal income or personal savings.
- Stay connected, not isolated: Tools like Breeze eSIM keep you online even if local SIM rules change.
- Get expert help: Work with visa consultants to lock in the proper visa status.
- Clean banking: Open at most one “regular” Thai bank account in your name or company name with the correct visa papers, and always keep any required balance as proof of bona fides.
- Plan accommodations: Use services like Expedia to book stays with strong Wi-Fi and flexible cancellation. Knowing where you can live or work safely (and change plans on short notice) is vital if you suddenly need to relocate.
By taking these steps, proactive travelers can align with Thailand’s new system. It may feel extra bureaucracy – and it is – but it also means you’re less likely to trigger the alarms aimed at fraudsters. In short, adapt or get stuck: use eSIMs, check your documents, and treat every banking interaction as an official matter.
The Road Ahead: Trust and Tightrope
Thailand’s policies reflect a delicate balancing act between security and openness. On one hand, digital ministers warn that “people are losing money through scams… we must act now to protect the public”. On the other, business groups fret that treating every visitor as a suspect risks harming tourism and international confidence. Officially, the crackdown is framed as temporary and surgical. Lawmakers in the Senate are already drafting safeguards: they plan clear legal definitions of “mule accounts,” improved data-sharing between banks and government, and even an appeals platform so frozen account holders can explain themselves quickly. If history is any guide, once the immediate threat of scam waves recedes, some of these strict measures may ease.
For now, however, the message is blunt: zero tolerance for fraud, even at the cost of convenience. Thailand is “walking a tightrope between hospitality and security,” observers say. Those days of “open a bank account in a day, no questions asked” are clearly fading. The kingdom has traded a bit of short-term ease for a promise of long-term safety. Travelers and expats who value Thailand’s fast lifestyle will have to adapt if they want to keep enjoying it.
About The Thailand Advisor (TTA): Smart insights for global citizens. The Thailand Advisor is a member-supported news publication providing data-driven analysis and on-the-ground reporting about life and business in Thailand. Our Tech & Future column decodes how technology and policy affect travelers, expats, and entrepreneurs in the Kingdom. We deliver clear, factual journalism and practical advice to help international readers navigate Thailand with confidence and clarity.
