Ten day crackdown by Thai cyber cops results in nearly 4,000 arrests

[webfact]

Picture: INN

 

The head of Thailand's Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat told INN that a ten day crackdown on online fraud had resulted in nearly 4,000 people being arrested.

 

The PCT had been looking into crime during the period 20th October until the end of the month.

 

On their radar were money matters and investment fraud, fraud connected to the sale of goods and illegal goods, computer crime, sex crime and gambling. 

 

Two of the biggest cases involved a gang running a call center contacting members of the public to say that they were police investigating drugs offences.

 

If they didn't want to be prosecuted they had to transfer money.

 

Losses were in the region of 13 million baht.

 

Another case involved a woman purporting to sell mobile phones but after taking 400,000 baht from 50 victims supplied none. 

 

Damrongsak told the media at a press conference that the PCT were improving their crime reporting site this month.

 

He promised that police advisors would be available to help the public online before the end of November.

 

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[RafPinto]

How did they stay awake?

[fangless]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

Damrongsak told the media at a press conference that the PCT were improving their crime reporting site this month.

It might be better if they improved their crime clear-up/prosecution rate instead!

[Geoffggi]

All this goes to show Thailand is full of corruption at all levels - The Hub of Corruption one might say .......................LOL 

[ezzra]

It seems that every now and than, some heads of departments of forces in the government must or being compelled to come up with "look at us working and bringing positive results to the people" statements, but in reality, not much substance or truth behind those bombastic claims and announcements...

[Gsxrnz]

I find it difficult to believe they could find and arrest 400 fraudsters per day for ten days.

 

They always send 10 coppers for every arrest to get a photo opportunity, so that implies 4,000 coppers were weren't sitting in their office drinking coffee and scratching every day for 10 days.

 

And why no photos? Show me a picture of somebody pointing and I might find it more believable.

 

 

[RafPinto]

After seeing all evidence, 3999(all wearing a uniform) were send home and only one suspect in custody.

[spidermike007]

How about a ten day crackdown by Thai citizens, against corrupt cops? Round them up. Conduct citizen trials. Punishment is to be determined. 

[Megasin1]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

computer crime, sex crime and gambling. 

Sounds a mite Orwellian to me and is more than likely of the fiction genre ????

[Joe Farang]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Two of the biggest cases involved a gang running a call center contacting members of the public to say that they were police investigating drugs offences.

 

If they didn't want to be prosecuted they had to transfer money.

 

Losses were in the region of 13 million baht.

Who would have paid up other than people actually involved in drugs?

How did the "fake" police know who they were?

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The head of Thailand's Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat told INN that a ten day crackdown on online fraud had resulted in nearly 4,000 people being arrested

4,000 in 10 days.. must have had a lot of tip-offs.

[Nojohndoe]

2 hours ago, Joe Farang said:

Who would have paid up other than people actually involved in drugs?

How did the "fake" police know who they were?

Exactly my own thought. Surely that sort of extortion would only work where the victim was guilty of something. Did they all make a complaint or did the extortioner have records that were found?

Now the real police might visit to ask "So why did you pay up? " ! Ooops!

[zzaa09]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

It seems that every now and than, some heads of departments of forces in the government must or being compelled to come up with "look at us working and bringing positive results to the people" statements, but in reality, not much substance or truth behind those bombastic claims and announcements...

Part and parcel of the extending ruling class theatre. 

Activities of misdirection. 

 

Never mind what's going on behind the real curtain.

[RafPinto]

The guy on the picture, does he has one shoulder too small?
Unusual to have stars just on one shoulder.

[HappyExpat57]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat

Shouldn't this guy be pointing at the cloud?

[HappyExpat57]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

4,000 in 10 days.. must have had a lot of tip-offs.

Or . . . . . could they be making up those numbers? They really don't pass the smell test.

[tomacht8]

Two of the biggest cases involved a gang running a call center contacting members of the public to say that they were police investigating drugs offences.

 

If they didn't want to be prosecuted they had to transfer money.

 

Losses were in the region of 13 million baht.

 

That shows how deeply the corruption is burned into the Thai brains here. A certificate how low the reputation of the police is here.

 

"Hello, this is the police. Either you pay or we lock you up. "

 

And many Thais believe that and pay, because that is the normal mode of how the police operate here.

Edited November 4, 2021 by tomacht8

[rudi49jr]

Always with these stupid crackdowns!!!! What do these people do the rest of the time? Just sit at their desk and do nothing? Go on day trips to go fishing? Or hang at a bar and drink beer and Thai whisky all hours of the day and night? Why not just do the job you’re supposed to be doing the whole time? It just boggles the mind.

[realfunster]

6 hours ago, ezzra said:

It seems that every now and than, some heads of departments of forces in the government must or being compelled to come up with "look at us working and bringing positive results to the people" statements, but in reality, not much substance or truth behind those bombastic claims and announcements...

As I noted in the thread regarding counterfeit goods raids publicised today, I detect the whiff of heightened law-enforcement PR activity off the back of the recent medical gloves scandal. 

[Muhendis]

Oh dear. I think I must have misunderstood the headline. I was expecting one of these guys:-

[Kwaibill]

This is not confined to Thailand. A regular scam in the US is purported IRS agents calling up to say folks have to pay up or else, and enough people are scared enough to do it, even though its all a crock. Been ongoing for years.

[Sir Dude]

If they actually cleared it (fraud/scamming etc.) all up, then there would be no-one left to do anything... country would collapse. If they put in as much effort into some other things as they do into scamming, then Thailand would be a certified cornucopia of success.

[mikebell]

Meanwhile on the roads there were NO arrests and 547 deaths.

[zzaa09]

20 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

How about a ten day crackdown by Thai citizens, against corrupt cops? Round them up. Conduct citizen trials. Punishment is to be determined. 

Why stop at the policing systems. 

Mixed in with those directed crackdown and tribunes: the highly corrupted and criminal Ammat, military boys club, controlling ruling classes/side mafias and the political systems at large - nationally as well as provincially. 

 

A citizen cleansing, sort to speak.

[sanuk711]

How do they precede with someone like Face-Book?....which is full of gambling sites. I like to play Poker, they give a certain amount of play money, then, if you do lose that you have the option of buying more credits, or you have to leave the game . Same with some Backgammon sites.

 

The sites may not belong to F/B, but thats where you access them from.