BANGKOK — Cyber police launched “Operation Bridge Blast” to suppress two major Chinese scammer gangs. One of these gangs had disguised themselves as a legitimate company to register phone numbers ’02-xxxxxxx’ used to deceive the public. Another using False Base Stations to send fake SMS messages to victims.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Assistant Commissioner General, as Deputy Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center, Royal Thai Police, led the announcement of the operation results on November 18 at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters.
In the first operation, officers discovered unusual usage patterns of telephone numbers being used to deceive many citizens, specifically numbers beginning with 02-xxxxxxxx.
Investigation revealed that these 02 numbers were used by call center gangs to trick people into participating in various activities and investments.
The numbers were allocated to mobile network operators through three registered companies that applied for number registration to operate SIP Server equipment using SIP Trunk Solution.
The SIP Trunk Solution technology provides fixed-line telephone network services through the internet, which can manage number usage via computer systems without location restrictions or limitations in signal cable network installation. All numbers begin with 02-xxxxxxx.
730,185,892 Calls
The three legal entities involved in using numbers for fraud had 11,201 numbers total:
- Huanyun Information Technology Co., Ltd. – registered 3,000 numbers, recorded 256,219,676 call attempts. Has 3 directors: 1 Chinese (major shareholder) and 2 Thai.
- Yun Tian Ke Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd. – registered 6,000 numbers, recorded 345,339,574 call attempts. Has 3 directors: 2 Chinese and 1 Thai.
- Prima Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd. – registered 2,201 numbers, recorded 128,626,642 call attempts. Has 3 directors, all Chinese.
The three companies made 730,185,892 calls using the 02 numbers. When officers checked immigration records of the Chinese directors from all three companies, they found no entry-exit records in Thailand, except for one Chinese national who left Thailand on August 7, 2023, and never returned.
Police gathered evidence and obtained court warrants for 24 suspects – 9 foreigners (3 Chinese, 1 Singaporean, 1 Malaysian, 1 Myanmar, 3 Laotian) and 15 Thai nationals who served as company directors, expense managers, and money mule account holders.
Currently, police have arrested 10 suspects: 9 Thai nationals and 1 Myanmar national. They are coordinating with Interpol to issue Red Notices for the foreign suspects who fled abroad.
They are being prosecuted for: Conspiracy to defraud the public, jointly inputting false computer data into computer systems, being members of a secret criminal organization with illegal purposes (conspiracy to form a criminal association or gang), conspiracy to commit money laundering, joint money laundering operations, and operating as money mule account holders.
False Base Station
In the second operation, collaborating with AIS (Advanced Info Service), police investigated criminals driving vehicles equipped with fake SMS transmitters, sending messages like “Your 9,268 points are about to expire! Claim your gift now!” around busy areas of Sukhumvit Road.
They arrested a 35-year-old Chinese man named Yang, finding in his car an operating base station simulator connected to an 8,000W mobile power station, one WiFi router, and four mobile phones.
AIS teams identified it as an SMS transmitter using a false base station to simulate AIS network signals. The modified telecommunications radio equipment was operating on various frequencies without NBTC permission. In just 3 days (November 11-13, 2024), it had sent nearly 1 million messages.
Yang faces three charges: unauthorized possession/use/import/export/trade of radio communication equipment, unauthorized establishment of a radio communication station, and unauthorized use of telecommunications frequencies constituting telecommunications operations. Investigation continues to identify the mastermind and network behind this operation.
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