The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) will meet 36 Thai and foreign commercial banks on Monday to find ways to prevent people using the identification cards of others to open bank accounts.
The problem recently landed a 24-year-old woman who lost her ID card on Oct 6 last year in trouble and made headlines in the press on Tuesday.
Nicha Kiartthanapaiboon's card was allegedly used by a call centre gang to open nine accounts with seven banks, sparked public questions about banks' security procedures.
The meeting with the banks was earlier scheduled to take place today, but it was deferred to Monday, according to an Amlo source.
Amlo is also in the process of investigating seven banks which allowed people to use Ms Nicha's ID card to open accounts, the source said.
Amlo has a duty to monitor banks in relation to money-laundering laws. To help prevent the crime, financial institutes have an obligation to properly verify the identities of those who want to open bank accounts, the source noted.
The law imposes ways to verify customers to prevent scammers from using other people's ID cards to open accounts, according to the source. Failure to properly authenticate customers can result in a fine of one million baht per account and another 10,000 baht fine each day until the problem is solved, the source said.
Pol Maj Gen Parinya Wisittakul, chief of Tak provincial police office, said officers were sent to contact the seven banks which issued accounts in the name of Ms Nicha for people allegedly involved with the gang.
CCTV footage of those seen opening the bank accounts will be reviewed, he said, adding the signatures of those who opened the accounts would be examined to see if they matched that of Ms Nicha.
Experts on the identification of individuals would also join the team, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Parinya said the Royal Thai Police have assigned the Crime Suppression Division and Tak police to gather evidence so the investigation proceeds quickly.
"If it is proved that Ms Nicha was not the person who opened the bank accounts, police will drop the charges against her," Pol Maj Gen Parinya said. Ms Nicha is currently charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.