The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) will join hands with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Singapore to address the increasing cases of cybercrime and call centre scammers, according to CIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridet.
Speaking after his return from the neighbouring country, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said the visit marks a crucial step for the agencies to cooperate in the fight against crime.
During his visit from April 7 to Tuesday, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop met Senior Assistant Commissioner How Kwang Hwee, director of the CID, to discuss cooperation between the two countries.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said both agencies have similar responsibilities to solve complex crimes, including financial crime and cybercrime.
"Information is important, and the more we have, the better we do our job," he said.
"I believe that Thailand and Singapore will further exchange information, whether it is about transnational organisations, online fraud or scammers."
He said that while Singapore sees a low crime rate with less than 10 murder cases a year, more than 50% of the cases which the country faces involve scams that cause massive financial damage.
During the meeting, the Thai team also met Interpol officers at the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) to discuss human resource development in combating cybercrime, which has become the world's largest type of major crime, Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said.
"Online fraud has become rampant in every country, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.
"It is hard to solve because it can be committed anywhere." It is unclear how much cybercrime costs the country a year.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop said a key step to reining in online fraud is to categorise cases and set up a central agency to accept complaints, adding the Royal Thai Police has started the process for both.
He said Singapore's approach to dealing with online fraud is similar to Thailand's and its Anti-Scam Centre works with fintech companies and banks.