Bangkok court to hear fraud cases committed via Facebook

The Bangkok South Civil Court set Nov 23 for the next hearing in four lawsuits filed by the Thailand Consumers Council against companies allegedly linked to Facebook-related online scams, the Bangkok Post reported.

The council filed 10 lawsuits on June 8 against 17 companies on behalf of 10 consumers who allegedly fell victim to scams through Facebook. The cases seek compensation for the consumers' losses, according to the council.

The council has described the lawsuits as a landmark case and said they represent "the first legal action in Thailand against digital platforms in connection with online scams." On Tuesday, the Bangkok South Civil Court held preliminary hearings for four cases, attended by council representatives, its legal team and victims.

Those hearings followed preliminary hearings for three other cases at the Civil Court in Ratchada on Aug 3. The remaining three cases are scheduled for preliminary hearings on Aug 17 and 31.

Saree Aongsomwang, secretary-general of the council's office, previously said the lawsuits were filed as "pilot cases," with three handled by the Civil Court and seven by the Bangkok South Civil Court. She said the preliminary hearings were only "the beginning of the judicial process" and that the cases could take time because they involve multiple defendants, separate legal teams and scheduling challenges.

Meta said in response to the lawsuits that it was taking action against scams and had recently worked to disrupt online fraud networks across Southeast Asia. The Bangkok Post article, published on Aug 12, 2026, carried a file photo of women petitioning the Crime Suppression Division in 2018 over an alleged Facebook fraud involving brand-name goods worth about five million baht.