Upon investigation into this matter, Thai PBS Verify found it to be a fake news story that fraudulently uses a photo of a well-known public person, “Suthichai Yoon,” interviewing “Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput,” the Bank of Thailand Governor, on the Thai PBS channel. The website publishes a news article that encourages online investment, fraudulently using the logo of the Thairath news agency. It was verified that this is a fake website belonging to a call center gang.
Thai PBS Verify has found the source of the fake news: Facebook.
As a case, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant1, a lecturer in the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, posted a Warning 2 on his Facebook page. He stated that the news of Suthichai Yoon being detained after exposing a secret Thai government revenue project is fake news and cautioned the public not to be deceived.
A screenshot of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jessada Denduangboripant’s Facebook page, where he posted a warning about a news website spreading fake news.
Thai PBS Verify has investigated and found that the website in question uses an untrustworthy URL link. The content within is a long interview article between Mr. Suthichai Yoon while he was interviewing Dr. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput4 on a program on the Thai PBS channel. The website imitated the appearance of the news outlet’s website and used the logo of the Thairath news agency to create a sense of credibility.
“Upon investigation, it was found that the fake news content used an image from the program “Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon5”, which was broadcast on the Thai PBS channel. The Thai PBS logo was clearly visible in the photo. At the same time, the fake news claimed that “Suthichai Yoon was immediately detained after a live broadcast on Thai PBS Television—he exposed a secret revenue project that the Thai government and elite groups had been hiding from the general public for many years.”
In the fake article, it was claimed that the interview was a leaked, edited version of a tape from the “Outside the Box” program. It is alleged that Suthichai attempted to question the Governor of the Bank of Thailand about a legal income-generating platform that could benefit the Thai people but was being kept a secret by the elite. The article also claimed that this platform uses an AI system to manage cryptocurrency investments, that users do not need any experience, and that no taxes are collected on the income. Furthermore, it claimed that the news editor of the program had tried investing based on the advice of the BOT Governor and was able to make a profit of almost one hundred thousand baht.
Furthermore, upon investigation of the fake website, it was found that the various icons on the pages were not functional and were merely static images. Only the article content could be read. At the bottom of the page, photos of what appeared to be Facebook comments were displayed. Still, when clicked, they immediately redirected to a gambling website belonging to the criminal group.
A screenshot from the fake website shows the steps for registering for online investment. It includes claims designed to persuade users with the incentive of earning an income of tens of thousands of baht.
Original Clip
Our investigation found that the original clip is from the program “Talk Outside the Box”. The content of Mr. Suthichai Yoon’s interview with the BOT Governor does not encourage investment in any online platform. It was merely a discussion about the economy.
- Original Clip: The ‘Central Bank’s’ Stance, The Identity of ‘Governor Sethaput’ | Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon6, was published on February 29, 2024, on YouTube.
- Original Clip: The ‘Central Bank’s’ Stance, The Identity of ‘Governor Sethaput’ Chapter 2 | Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon 7, was published on March 7, 2024, on YouTube.
- Original Clip: Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput – Bank of Thailand Governor | Thai PBS World Exclusive 8, was published on March 1, 2024, on YouTube
- Original Clip: Rebutting the accusation: Is the ‘Bank of Thailand’ on an ivory tower?” | Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon 9was published on February 29, 2024, on YouTube
- Original Clip: The Economy is Slowing Down, Why Doesn’t The Bank of Thailand Cut Interest Rates? | Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon10 was published on February 29, 2024, on YouTube
- Original Clip: The ‘Bank of Thailand Governor’ Keeps an Eye on 2 ASEAN Countries as Their Economies Enter a Golden Age | Talk Outside the Box with Suthichai Yoon 11 was published on March 7, 2024, on YouTube.
A comparative screenshot shows the original image from the program “Talk Outside the Box” on the left, and the image from the fake website that fraudulently uses the Thairath news agency logo on the right.
Upon verifying the content of the fake news, it was also noted that the source website may have used edited images of Mr. Suthichai Yoon and Dr. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput holding mobile phones. The claim was that Dr. Sethaput had handed his personal mobile phone to Mr. Suthichai to show the investment balance on the platform. However, a verification of the original program clip found no image or event where either the Bank of Thailand Governor or Mr. Suthichai brought out a personal mobile phone.
A screenshot of the content and images from the fake website, showing Mr. Suthichai Yoon and Dr. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput holding mobile phones.
Comparison: left image – mobile phone from the fake website. The middle and right images – photographs of the filming atmosphere from Suthichai Yoon’s “Talk Outside the Box” program, showing that they are different phones. Suthichai’s phone uses a clear case.
Suthichai Yoon Confirms the Content is Fake.
Suthichai Yoon, the famous host and journalist, confirmed to Thai PBS Verify that the information is false. He stated that all clips and pages with content that invite online investment or recommend buying and selling blood pressure medication are entirely fake. He noted that this type of deception has been seen for a while, with attempts being made to lure people into believing the claims and then redirecting them to gambling websites. As a first step, Mr. Suthichai has already filed a legal complaint with the cyber police.
Suthichai Yoon revealed that he had previously been a target of Deepfake technology, where his images and voice were cloned so convincingly that even close acquaintances and some older adults were deceived. This has forced him to issue clarifications on his personal page numerous times.
Suthichai also recounted a case where a fake clip was edited to accuse him of selling blood pressure medication. An officer even conducted an undercover purchase and received a physical package, but upon inspection, it was found to contain no medication whatsoever. He noted that this is a common tactic used by criminals who constantly change their targets. When someone publicly refutes or clarifies their claims, they move on to using the names of other individuals instead.
“I would like to confirm that I have never been involved with any product-selling platforms, never acted as a representative for any activity outside of my role as a journalist, and never hosted a show or participated in anything related to investment.”
He also warned the public to exercise discretion when consuming news, particularly content with dramatic headlines or involving famous individuals. He advised checking the source of the news before clicking or sharing. He cautioned against being deceived or falling victim to criminal groups that fraudulently use the names of well-known public figures.
A compilation of fake news images that fraudulently use the name of Suthichai Yoon to deceive victims into entering a phony website.
Central Investigation Bureau Recommends Ways to Spot Fake Websites and Applications
Pol. Col. Neti Wongkulab, Deputy Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).
Pol. Col. Neti Wongkulab, Deputy Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), revealed that there are currently criminal syndicates deceiving the public through fake news. These stories or series-style articles are being spread via advertisements on various platforms such as Google and Facebook.
When users click on the ads, they are led to articles with headlines similar to those of leading news agencies. The articles fraudulently use the names of famous individuals to build credibility and include links for online investment.
“Cases of this nature are a clear violation, constituting the importing of false information into a computer system under the Computer-Related Crime Act. If a victim is deceived into investing, the case may also fall under public fraud. An investigation would allow us to trace the financial trail to the destination accounts. If it is found to be connected to foreign nationals, it could be classified as a transnational crime syndicate, and perpetrators could face additional charges for money laundering,” he stated.
Pol. Col. Neti further warned that there is currently a large amount of fake news. He advised the public to verify the credibility of websites before consuming news, especially those that claim to be from mainstream media or use the logos of news agencies. They should check if the URL matches the official domain of the media outlet. If it does not, he advised that they should assume it is a fake website and should not click on it.
Pol. Col. Neti also added that creating fake articles on self-made websites is another method used by call center gangs. They run clickbait advertisements with shocking headlines and then invite users to sign up for free, asking for personal information while claiming there are no fees. They then recommend adding a “specialist” on Line or Facebook, who uses a fake profile picture of a famous person from the investment world.
After that, initial conversations then take place, often with a fake secretary who makes contact. They won’t invite you to invest immediately, but they will provide knowledge or engage in a conversation that builds trust before inviting you to a chat group. These groups have shills who pretend to be doctors, police officers, or financial professors. They chat in the group daily to build credibility and share investment news, thereby deceiving victims into trusting them.
Finally, they will invite you to download a fake stock trading application that looks like a real investment app. When a victim makes a first test investment, they will usually profit, which makes them believe it’s real and prompts them to put actual money into subsequent trades, ultimately losing it all.
This fraudulent model is a fixed pattern used by call center gangs, whether they claim to invest in gold, forex, oil stocks, or even so-called “angel stocks.” Although the names differ, the scam’s structure is almost entirely the same.
He also recommended that people check any investment application on the “SEC Check First” website, run by the Securities and Exchange Commission, before making any investment decisions to protect themselves from being scammed.
