The Commerce Ministry has set up a special task force to intensify the crackdown on nominee businesses, grey businesses and substandard products across the country.
Deputy Commerce Minister Napintorn Srisunpang said the task force would focus on investigating nominee businesses, in which Thai nationals hold shares on behalf of foreign nationals, along with the importation of substandard goods.
This task force includes representatives from over 20 agencies, such as the Immigration Bureau, the Customs Department, the Food and Drug Administration, the Royal Thai Police, and the Thai Industrial Standards Institute.
Additionally, the ministry plans to work with the Ministry of Interior to establish a memorandum of understanding and set up provincial task forces, led by deputy governors and provincial commerce officials.
"The task force will be required to submit monthly reports to the subcommittee, which will subsequently be presented to the Cabinet," Mr Napintorn said.
From September to December 2024, authorities took action in 783 cases of nominee businesses, resulting in damages amounting to 11.7 billion baht.
In January 2025, an additional 37 cases were prosecuted, with losses of 710 million baht.
The majority of these cases were tied to nominee businesses in Bangkok's tourism sector, as well as in Phuket and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Other cases included operations related to online marketplaces, construction materials, accounting firms in Bangkok and Rayong, land logistics businesses, and real estate and related businesses.
The offenders primarily consisted of foreigners hailing from Europe and Asia.
Mr Napintorn said the Department of Business Development (DBD) is developing the IBAS system to analyse corporate data and identify high-risk nominee companies, with completion expected soon.
A new online feature on the DBD website will allow individuals to verify if their address has been misused as a business location for shell companies.
The DBD is collaborating with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to address issues related to mule bank accounts.
The CIB is compiling a list of individuals who are high-risk in relation to money laundering and transnational crime.
Recently, the Anti-Online Scam Operation Center hotline 1441 identified 204,000 high-risk individuals, both Thai and foreign nationals.
They were linked to 1,159 legal entities in Thailand suspected of being shell companies or grey businesses.
These cases have been directed to the relevant authorities, he added.