A bank account and mobile phone SIM card must be registered in the same name to use mobile banking.
The telecoms regulator said accessing bank accounts via a banking app from smartphones with a SIM card registered in a different name will require authorisation on a case-by-case basis, as it begins a crackdown on the use of mule accounts by fraudsters.
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission said the government has developed a policy to prevent mobile phone users from accessing banking services unless the phone is registered in the name of the mobile bank account holder.
The new policy is designed to stop fraudsters from using other people’s bank accounts and came into effect on Monday, 27 May, the Bangkok Post reported. However, banks can allow access to mobile banking accounts on a case-by-case basis. For example, if people subscribe to mobile banking services for young or elderly relatives.
The telecoms regulator said it would meet with representatives of mobile network operators to discuss simple procedures for implementing such individual authorisation.
According to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, there are about 106 million mobile banking accounts in the country, of which 30 million accounts are registered to persons different from the SIM card owners from whom mobile banking is accessed.
The ministry estimates 1 million mule accounts, and the agency plans to close 100,000 of them every month.
The verification of the names of mobile banking account holders and subscribers began on Monday. The names of SIM card and mobile banking account users will be verified for 120 days. After that, suspicious users of mobile banking services will be disconnected.
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