Operation "Bridge-Blasting": Thai Police Bust Chinese Call Centre Gang Using 02 Numbers

[webfact]

Picture courtesy: Siam Rath

 

Police in Thailand have dismantled a sophisticated Chinese call centre gang, primarily involving Chinese nationals, that exploited over 10,000 telephone numbers starting with "02" to defraud citizens.

 

This operation, called the "Bridge-Blasting Measure," uncovered that the gang made over 700 million calls and sent nearly one million fraudulent SMS messages in just three days.

 

On 18 November 2024, Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, announced the results of two key operations targeting this gang.

 

The investigations revealed that the fraudulent numbers, initially registered with three companies under a SIP Trunk system, were used to impersonate Thai landlines while operating from neighbouring countries.

 

The authorities identified three companies—Ruan Yun, Yoon, and Prima—linked to over 11,200 phone numbers.

Together, these numbers facilitated fraudulent call attempts exceeding 730 million. Notably, all the companies involved had foreign directors, predominantly Chinese nationals, some of whom are now facing arrest warrants alongside Thai collaborators.

 

In another breakthrough, the police arrested a Chinese suspect, Mr. Yang, who used a false base station to send fake SMS messages claiming reward points were expiring, tricking victims into providing sensitive information. The operation involved tampered telecommunications equipment and unauthorised frequencies.

 

This crackdown has led to 10 arrests so far, including nine Thais and one Myanmar national, while international warrants have been issued for other suspects. Charges include fraud, computer crimes, money laundering, and running illegal networks.

 

Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that this operation significantly disrupted the gang's ability to defraud citizens, marking a decline in such crimes over the past three months. Authorities continue collaborating with private and government sectors to tackle online and cross-border crimes effectively, reported Siam Rath.

 

-- 2024-11-19

 

 

[watchcat]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Police in Thailand have dismantled a sophisticated Chinese call centre gang,

 

Good work   .