BANGKOK — As Thailand launches an aggressive crackdown on transnational scam networks through the newly established Task Force 88, United Nations officials warn that criminal organizations are rapidly evolving their tactics.
Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Senior Inspector General, Director of the Police Cyber Taskforce, Anti-Human Trafficking Centre and the Director of Task Force 88, has launched a coordinated effort to combat technology crime syndicates, setting a three-month deadline for visible results.
The first meeting of Task Force 88, a special operations center focusing on technology crimes and human trafficking in border areas, brought together representatives from 32 agencies including all police units, at Royal Thai Police Headquarters on April 21.
“Demolishing the Criminal Bridge” Strategy
Pol. Gen. Thatchai clarified actions for addressing call center gangs by strictly implementing the “Demolishing the criminal bridge” strategy through three key measures:
- Communications disruption: Removing illegal signal towers, cracking down on ghost SIMs, and tracking call centers through IP addresses
- Financial chokepoints: Monitoring suspicious bank accounts, border ATM withdrawals, and cryptocurrency transactions
- Border security: Preventing unauthorized border crossings that facilitate scam operations in neighboring countries
No Leniency for Thai Participants
Recent operations along the Cambodian border resulted in 175 Thai nationals being arrested and returned to Thailand. Officials emphasized that these individuals were not human trafficking victims but active participants in transnational scam operations, now facing prosecution on four major charges.
Cyber War – National Security Threat
“This problem poses a new type of national security threat – a Cyber War,” said Pol. Gen. Thatchai, expressing confidence that integrated action across all agencies would yield effective results within three months.
The initiative follows Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s Order No. 83/2025, establishing mechanisms to address security threats along Thailand’s borders with neighboring countries, particularly Myanmar and Cambodia.
International Cooperation Critical
Following the Task Force 88 meeting, Police General Thatchai participated in an expert panel on scam centers and cybercrime in the Mekong region organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.
He emphasized the necessity of coordinating with foreign governments and law enforcement agencies to dismantle transnational scammer networks and gather evidence. Thailand has played a key role in repatriating 7,177 foreign nationals from 33 countries involved in scam operations in neighboring Myawaddy.
“We’ve requested cooperation from source countries to interview suspects and share evidence related to call center gangs,” said Pol. Gen. Thatchai, highlighting strong partnerships with China, Japan, and Cambodia that have led to numerous arrests of both leadership and members of operations based in neighboring countries.
Growing Criminal Sophistication
Benedict Hofmann, UNODC Regional Representative, revealed that these criminal organizations are rapidly expanding beyond Asia, causing increasing economic and psychological damage worldwide. More alarmingly, they’re diversifying into other serious crimes like drug production and trafficking.
“We’ve identified people from 56 countries who have been tricked into working for scam centers, with a trend toward recruiting from English and French-speaking countries,” Hofmann noted, adding that a significant number of individuals are now voluntarily joining these operations.
More sophisticated scams
The criminals are increasingly employing artificial intelligence for more sophisticated scams, including deepfake technology, making detection more difficult. A January bust in Nigeria revealed connections to Chinese, Filipino, and Indonesian criminals formerly based in ASEAN countries.
John Vojcik, UNODC Regional Analyst, highlighted the emergence of specialized money laundering groups functioning as “illegal financial institutions” that now serve various criminal sectors including drug trafficking, hackers, child pornography distributors, and human traffickers globally.
New Criminal Infrastructure
Vojcik cited HuiOne Guarantee, an online black market selling illegal products and comprehensive services for establishing call center scams, including personal data, software, and fraud systems. The organization has even developed its own digital currency, HuiOne Blockchain and USDH, to avoid asset seizures and legal restrictions.
Mobile Malware Threat
Jennifer Soh from cybersecurity firm Group-IB revealed details about “Android Malware Scams” that trick victims into installing fake applications, allowing cybercriminals remote control of their devices. These scams may include convincing victims to provide facial video recordings, which criminals then use to bypass facial recognition systems in banking applications through Camera Injection Tools.
“This threat demonstrates the advancement of cybercriminals in directly attacking mobile financial security systems,” Soh warned, urging users to exercise greater caution with mobile applications.
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