Thailand: BoT app to identify telemarketing calls

• Nov 27, 2019

The Bank of Thailand plans to pool the phone numbers of commercial banks, their subsidiaries and outsource units used for telemarketing and debt collection with the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to develop the Gun Guan app, enabling consumers to better block unwanted calls from next year.

The central bank is requesting that the three segments report to the NBTC the phone numbers used for telemarketing sales and debt collection. The process is to be completed this year, said Thanyanit Niyomkarn, assistant governor for supervision group 2 at the central bank.

These phone numbers will be available on the Gun Guan app, meaning telemarketers and debt collectors will be identified on phones that have the app downloaded.

In addition to identifying callers, the app will also detail what products the callers want to sell, Mrs Thanyanit said.

The phone numbers will be whitelisted on the Gun Guan app, meaning consumers cannot block them, but they can refuse the call, she said.

Calls from telemarketers and debt collectors must be made within a period set by the central bank.

Mrs Thanyanit said the central bank will apply market conduct regulations to specialised financial institutions, nanofinance operators and asset management firms, starting early next year. The rules, in place since 2017, supervise commercial banks and their subsidiaries.

The names of executives from financial institutions that fail to comply with the regulations will be publicised and consumer consent methods will be tightened.

The current system in which unwilling customers choose to opt out will be replaced by an opt-in system.

Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1802834/bot-app-to-identify-telemarketing-calls