BANGKOK, Thailand – Acting National Police Chief Pol. Gen. Kittirat Phanphet has launched Operation “Blow Up the Criminal Bridge” to sever the connections between call center gangs and the public, Oct 11. The operation targets phone signals, internet, ghost SIM cards, mule bank accounts, SMS, and social media platforms.
As Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center (TCSC) under the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Gen. Kittirat has mobilized a nationwide crackdown on these gangs. From October 1-10, police officers across the country, with support from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and network providers, conducted searches at 647 shops suspected of selling and registering SIM cards for criminals. The operation aims to gather evidence, issue arrest warrants, and prosecute those responsible for registering SIM cards for call center gangs.
The search resulted in the arrest of over 20 shops found guilty of immediate offenses. Police seized 101,068 Thai SIM cards, 113 SIM box devices, 575 mobile phones, 23 computers, and various documents, including copies of ID cards, passports, and work permits used for illegal SIM registrations.
The investigation uncovered two main loopholes: (1) criminals holding multiple SIM cards registered before the NBTC’s rule limiting ownership to five SIM cards per person, and (2) online SIM registrations, where the system fails to detect fraudulent registrations, such as uploading non-authentic photos or incorrect names. The TCSC plans to work closely with the NBTC and network providers to address these issues urgently.
Moving forward, the TCSC will investigate phone numbers used by criminals to deceive the public, as reported in the Thaipoliceonline system, and identify which SIM booths registered these numbers for the gangs. The police will take strict legal action, and the TCSC believes that without SIM booths or accomplices helping with illegal registrations, call center gangs operating from neighboring countries will be unable to contact or defraud Thai citizens.
The “Blow Up the Criminal Bridge” operation will continue, focusing on cracking down on SIM cards, network towers, bank accounts, SMS, and social media platforms, aiming to eradicate call center gang activity in Thailand. (TNA)
