Gogolook, the developer of the anti-scam application Whoscall, is shifting its focus from being primarily a scam detection company to an anti-scam prevention organization.
The company has selected Thailand as its global innovation hub to introduce new features that support this transition from providing caller ID services to fostering an anti-scam community.
Jeff Kuo, Gogolook’s CEO, explained at a Bangkok Post conference on Thursday that the company’s transformation is driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), which enable it to combat increasingly sophisticated scams.
Additionally, this shift responds to changing demographics, prompting Gogolook to revamp its user interface with gamification and community features aimed at attracting younger audiences. Kuo emphasized that the company is repositioning itself from a simple utility for scam detection to a trusted technology firm focused on prevention, empowering individuals, businesses, and governments through innovative solutions.
Thailand is recognized as the “center of the anti-scam effort in Southeast Asia,” and Gogolook leverages the country as one of its main headquarters—alongside Taiwan—to develop and expand its global anti-scam technologies.
As scams intensify across Southeast Asia, Thailand stands out as a strategic market for exporting Gogolook’s solutions following a surge in cyber scam operations regionally.
The country faces an extraordinary scam crisis, with estimated annual losses of 115 billion baht, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, a group including ScamAdviser and Whoscall. A survey of 1,000 Thai adults revealed that 72% had encountered scam attempts, averaging 172 scams per person annually—roughly one every two days. Alarmingly, 60% of respondents reported being scammed successfully within the past year, with an average financial loss of 12,955 baht per victim.
Fraudulent activities most frequently target platforms like Facebook and Gmail, which accounted for 66% and 37% of scam reports, respectively. Other commonly targeted platforms include TikTok (32%), Instagram (17%), X (formerly Twitter) (16%), WhatsApp (13%), Outlook.com and Telegram (both 11%), with Tinder (6%) and WeChat (5%) also impacted.
Kuo highlighted that Thailand was chosen as the initial launch site for a major upgrade of the Whoscall app—transforming it from a caller ID tool into a community-driven digital protection platform. The new version integrates AI-based defenses, user reporting, gamified rewards, and a system that empowers users to actively participate in scam prevention.
Whoscall aims to evolve into a social platform where users can “do good” and demonstrate positive impacts, utilizing gamification and badge systems to encourage corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives.
Kuo added that this strategy and the developed products are intended for rollout to other Southeast Asian countries and eventually on a global scale. He noted that cyber threats have shifted dramatically, with scams and social engineering comprising 90% of cyber threats in 2024—up from 30% at the pandemic’s start—largely driven by the rise of AI-powered deep fakes.
The company is actively adopting AI and flexible work models to attract international talent, working with businesses to build trust, advocating for stronger global cyber laws, and enhancing digital literacy and scam-awareness education for all age groups. These initiatives also open additional revenue streams from business and government sectors.
Global financial losses from scams amounted to approximately 1% of the world’s GDP in 2023, underscoring the scale of the issue and the significant potential for regulatory and technological intervention.
Despite economic hurdles, Gogolook is maintaining steady quarterly profits. The escalating severity of scams presents opportunities for anti-scam companies, as shifts toward premium and subscription revenue models make the company less vulnerable to fluctuations in advertising income, according to Kuo.