Police have warned users of the location-sharing Jagat app they could face trespassing charges and put personal safety at risk in hunting for Jagat coins for cash rewards.
The warning was issued by Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwpan, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau.
He said on Wednesday that Jagat users trying to find the physical coins for cash rewards might find themselves trespassing on other people's property. That offence carried a maximum prison term of five years and/or fine of up to 100,000 baht.
Users could also be at risk because they shared their personal data and location, which might be accessed by criminals, the cyber police chief said.
His advice followed complaints that some app users who hunted for physical Jagat coins using augmented reality technology had actually trespassed on private property and left dirt piles in public places while desperately digging for the coins, which they could use to claim cash rewards of 500 to 200,000 baht.
Pol Lt Col Wasuthep Jai-in, deputy chief of the Patrol and Special Operations Division (PSD), advised people to stop using the app to hunt for the coins. He said rewards from the app allegedly came from criminal mule accounts and recipients might face a money-laundering investigation.
He said the app originated in Indonesia and was operated by 17 foreigners based there and in Singapore and Vietnam. The coin hunt was launched in Thailand on Jan 15 with the physical coins reportedly hidden in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya and Phuket.
Police were searching for the people who initially placed the physical coins, he said.
PSD commander Pol Maj Gen Worawit Yanachinda has ordered increased patrols to prevent offences by Jagat coin hunters and possible crimes against them.
He said app users must pay for specific clues to a physical coin. One such clue had caused a lot of people to descend on the Silom area of Bangkok, causing great disruption to local people, the PSD chief said.
He also warned that young coin hunters who go to recommended locations at night might be attacked by criminals.
The coin hunting campaign in Thailand was initially set to last 30 days, but it might not last that long, because high-level police were aware of it and could take action, Pol Maj Gen Worawit said.
