Royal Thai Police warns increase in fake government websites

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has issued a warning about an increase in fake government websites that are designed to deceive the public. RTP Deputy Spokesperson Pol Maj Gen Siriwat Deepor highlighted a concerning trend where fraudsters misuse the “.go.th” domain extension, which is formally designated for government agencies. Scammers cleverly place this domain extension at the end of URLs to create a false sense of authenticity, misleading internet users.

To help the public distinguish between genuine and fraudulent websites, the RTP has released a guide on verifying web domains. According to the guide, a legitimate government website will have the “.go.th” directly following the hostname and before any forward slashes in the URL. For example, the correct format would be “https://www.royalthaipolice.go.th.”

Further efforts to combat these fraudulent activities include collaboration between the RTP and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) to shut down these fake sites through court orders and to prosecute those responsible. Individuals who believe they have been victims of such scams are encouraged to report their experiences online at www.thaipoliceonline.go.th or via the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) 24-hour hotline at 1441. (NNT)