The new regulations do not yet apply to users of mobile banking: NBTC

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand’s telecommunications regulator, today announced that mobile banking users can transact as normal, despite today’s entry into force of a new regulation aimed at protecting users from fraudsters.

Under the new rules, the owner of a mobile banking account must be the same person registered as the SIM card user, to prevent fraudsters from using “mule” and “ghost” SIM card accounts to electronically steal money from bank depositors. .

The NBTC clarified that it is seeking the cooperation of the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and commercial banks to enable it to coordinate with mobile service providers to check registered SIM card numbers associated with mobile banking systems.

The information from mobile service providers Advanced Info Service (AIS) and TRUE will then be sent to commercial banks who will check it against their mobile banking bank accounts. The information will then be forwarded to AMLO and NBTC.

The NBTC said commercial banks have the discretion to exempt children whose parents have opened mobile banking accounts for them or the elderly from the new rule.

The NBTC, however, said it will be in talks with mobile service providers to help mobile banking users who want to change their registered name and surname of the SIM card holder to match their bank account name to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.

Mobile banking users can check if their name matches that of the SIM card owner by pressing *179* followed by their ID number and calling.