Data Breach at Thailand’s Council of Engineers Raises Scam Fears
Data Breach at Thailand’s Council of Engineers Raises Scam Fears
BANGKOK, April 24, 2026 — Thailand’s Council of Engineers has come under scrutiny after a senior member alleged that its computer system was hacked, potentially exposing the personal data of more than 300,000 members and raising fears of follow-on fraud.
Chulert Jitjuejun, a senior professional engineer and prominent council member, said in a Facebook post on April 23 that the council’s server had been compromised and member information may now be in the hands of criminals.
He also posted a police complaint filed at Chok Chai Police Station.
According to Chulert, the breach occurred during a system upgrade on April 15 that allegedly created vulnerabilities allowing certain committee accounts to access information belonging to other users.
He said hackers used usernames and passwords associated with administrators and committee members to obtain personal records.
The allegedly exposed data included names, addresses, phone numbers, workplace information and council positions.
Chulert said his own username and password were among credentials misused during the breach.
The Council of Engineers, which regulates Thailand’s engineering profession and licensing system, had not publicly confirmed the scale of the alleged breach by Friday or clarified whether the vulnerability had been resolved.
The incident triggered criticism online, with users questioning the organisation’s cybersecurity safeguards and asking why affected members had not been formally notified sooner.
Some members said in social media comments that they had already received suspicious phone calls from individuals who appeared to know their professional roles and employment details.
No confirmed financial losses were immediately reported.
Thailand has faced a sharp rise in cybercrime and call-centre scams in recent years, prompting authorities to strengthen digital security rules and public awareness campaigns.
Experts say stolen professional data can be valuable to fraud networks because it allows scammers to impersonate regulators, employers or colleagues in highly targeted social engineering attacks.
The case is likely to intensify pressure on professional bodies and state-linked institutions to improve data protection standards and incident disclosure procedures.
