The Royal Thai Police have expressed support for a new policy aimed at catching call center scammers, urging phone users to report suspicious numbers or services to network operators so they can be blocked and the perpetrators apprehended.
Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, director of the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT), said national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk had remarked on the growing problem of call center fraud.
According to Pol Gen Damrongsak, users of mobile phones are encouraged to report any suspicious calls and ask their mobile service providers to block any numbers associated with criminal activity. The public can call AIS at 1185, True at 9777, or Dtac at 1678 to report these incidents.
According to Pol Gen Damrongsak, the PCT has received 15,557 complaints about call center crimes since March 1. In total, there were 5,311 online shopping scams and 1,884 fraud schemes related to online product reviews. Other calls were made by romance and investment scamming gangs offering phony services and products.
Since April 8, AIS alone has received over 1,000 complaints about fraudulent call centers via its hotline and SMS channel, with details already forwarded to the PCT for further investigation.
Pol Lt Gen Kornchai Klayklueng, the commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), said cooperation from mobile operators was critical to helping police deal with fraudsters more effectively, as well as leading to swift arrests.
Police said they have been interviewing witnesses and summoning a number of suspects who are currently in Thailand for questioning. Charges against a number of scammers and their associates are also being prepared. (NNT)
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