Thailand seeks to block access to Facebook, citing crypto scams

200,000 people have been impacted by scams in Thailand

article-image

jiraphoto/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Thailand is threatening to shut down Meta’s Facebook in the country due to scams.

The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society posted the alert on Monday, claiming that over 200,000 people had been impacted by online scams. It notes that crypto scams are popular with “cyber crooks.”

Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, the Digital Economy minister, “insists that he is ready to submit to the court to close Facebook at the end of this month.”

The ministry claims that it took its concerns to Facebook through a letter, asking for the company to “take action to resolve the issue.” However, it’s unclear if Meta or Facebook has responded.

“In the past, the ministry talked to Facebook all the time, but did not screen advertisers, causing damage to Thai people of more than 100,000 million baht, ” Chaiwut said.

The Ministry argues that Facebook is profiting off ads that are perpetuating scams and that the social media company does not properly screen the ads. Roughly 5,000 fraud ads have been blocked, according to the post. 

Facebook did not immediately return a request for comment.

The move against Facebook comes after Thailand took action against crypto staking in July, with Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission announcing the ban on both lending and staking services effective as of Aug. 30.

“It is forbidden to advertise or persuade the general public or do any other act in the manner of supporting the deposit taking & lending service,” the Thai SEC said.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
  • Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates.jpg

Research

Bluefin possibly stands at an inflection point. The token is near an all-time low yet the protocol’s spot volume market share and derivatives exchange usage have been increasing month over month since its November launch. Given its current market position and the upcoming upgrades (for both Bluefin and SUI), there may be upside potential before the increased supply growth in December. However, strong opposition from existing competitors (like Cetus and Suilend), as well as new entrants (like Aftermath), pose key challenges to Bluefin’s medium-term success.

article-image

Sol’s price drop was partially triggered by one of the year’s more chaotic memecoin events

article-image

Are digital assets just part of “normal” finance conversations now?

article-image

It’s a busy week as DC prepares for confirmations and policies that may have major impacts on crypto

article-image

NFT collection Azuki is releasing anime-inspired decks for a physical trading card game

article-image

Fidelity is planning a stablecoin launch, FT reports, as more companies flock to the digital-dollar business

article-image

Trace Morgan warns that the government shouldn’t “smash buy” without a long-term strategy