Currently, technology, particularly online social media, plays a crucial role in everyday life, enabling more convenient, easier, and faster management of everyday tasks, including financial and investment activities. At the same time, it also provides a channel for fraudsters to easily infiltrate and lure investors into investment scams. They often use technology to deceive the victims and walk away with the easily earned money, an incident of danger at our fingertips. The loss associated with financial and investment crimes is on the rise every year.

Mrs. Pornanong Budsaratragoon, SEC Secretary-General revealed that in 2024 the SEC had received over 5,590 complaints and tips about investment scams, the majority of which involved online investment scams, comprising 3,388 cases of investment scams and the remaining 2,202 cases of consultations on the investment scams. The SEC, therefore, was well aware of the problems and considered the issue a high priority. The SEC has continuously taken measures in various aspects to help solve the problems for the public, particularly the cooperation with government agencies and social media platform service providers to block social media accounts that engage in investment scams. So far, the SEC has successfully blocked 99.76% of the accounts reported for fraudulent behavior.

"The SEC aims to empower the public with a strong immunity, enabling them to protect themselves from being scammed. We have consistently promoted educational projects that provide knowledge on how to protect oneself from investment scams," stated Mrs. Pornanong.
 
In 2023, the SEC launched the “Too Good to Be True …Don’t Invest” campaign to create awareness among the general public about the five red flags to be on the lookout for, i.e., (1) excessively high (overhigh), claiming to give abnormally high returns; (2) excessively fast (overfast), claiming to yield returns in a very short period of time; (3) excessively sure (oversure), guaranteeing absolute high returns; (4) excessively rushed (overhasty), offering special privileges only during certain time to rush decisions; and (5) excessively claimed (overexaggerated), impersonating government agency executives and famous people. The campaign attained a total of 52.7 million times media reach.

  
In 2025, the SEC further enhanced the "Too Good to Be True... Don't Invest" campaign to raise public awareness to think carefully before making investment decisions. The new approach uses music as an educational medium, with lyrics developed from social listening data about common investment scam patterns. The content is designed to cover common scams that target people of all ages and genders, be easy to remember, encourage people to think critically and research before making investment decisions, and help people avoid being deceived by solicitations promising unrealistic returns.
 

Sample lyrics of the song:
          "If it looks too good to be true, don’t fall for it. If it looks exaggeratingly cool. Step back! It may be untrue. If someone promises wealth with ease, you’d better think twice, please. If things look extravagant beyond reasons, don’t take the risk."

Investors and the general public can follow the campaign through:  

·      listen to the "Too Good to Be True... Don't Invest" song on the ThaiSEC Youtube channel or on Green Wave 106.5 and EFM 94 radio stations throughout February to March 2025.

·      share experiences about romance and investment scams on the “Club Friday” program every Friday throughout February 2025.

·      watch educational contents that will help build immunity against investment scams through Facebook: "Start-to-invest" (@StartToInvest) and other SEC online channels.

·      watch the full Music VDO premiere on February 10, 2025, on Facebook: the "SEC  Office” (สำนักงาน กลต.) and "Start-to-invest," YouTube: "ThaiSEC" YouTube and TikTok: "ThaiSEC Official."