Advanced Info Services (AIS) is warning its customers not to respond to surveys forwarded to them as these might be phishing scams connected to fake websites meant to obtain passwords and other personal data.
"The Covid-19 situation has caused a rise in the number of people working and learning at home and trading online, leading to an increase in the number of Thais communicating on online platforms," said Saichon Submakudom, head of public relations at AIS.
"This makes them easy prey for scammers looking to steal personal data and deceive users."
These attacks include phishing, which is the use of fake websites to obtain personal data and take advantage of the current social situation such as registering for vaccination.
The scammers trick users into revealing one time passwords and then use them for financial transactions. Pop-up ads pretend to scan for viruses while encouraging clicks and fake news deceives people into sharing it further.
"We have now discovered another scam in which users are invited to complete an online survey and share it with their network in exchange for prizes," said Ms Saichon.
"When customers visit the URL which looks like an online survey, the customer's telephone number is used to send an iSMS overseas automatically, generating unseen charges which are higher than usual. There is also a risk that personal data obtained will be used for the wrong purposes."
After AIS investigated these irregularities, the company blocked suspicious URLs or links to protect customers by making them unavailable to users.
The company is warning its customers to take caution when clicking on links and this includes text which invites users to join an activity or where people are asked to supply data to win a prize.