The Thai General Insurance Association (TGIA) is warning people against deliberately getting themselves infected with Covid-19 so they can claim insurance.
Anon: Not worth the risk
"I want to warn them to avoid doing so because it's not only wrongful but also puts their lives at risk," said TGIA president Anon Vangvasu.
Facebook user "Somchai Chobchai" said some people had exposed themselves to Covid-19 to claim insurance.
Someone could earn 100,000 baht each if they were infected with the virus, he said. Some families had earned 700,000 baht from insurance claims after all family members were infected.
"Someone even put on used face masks and swallowed saliva from Covid-19 patients," he wrote.
Many insurance firms offer Covid-19 insurance with customers paying premiums of only 400-500 baht a year for coverage of 100,000 baht per claim if infected.
The TGIA has yet to find a case of someone deliberately getting infected, though it has found people who try to forge documents to claim the insurance, Mr Anon said.
"I believe there's no one who wants to take the risk of getting themselves infected with Covid-19 as it is too dangerous," he said, adding that similar messages had gone viral last year.
Some observers believe they are an example of the "fake news" which the government is trying to stamp out.