Major Telecom Scam Busted in Chiang Mai; 15 Arrested in CIB Operation

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Operation CIB Crush the Grey Dragon, conducted by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), has successfully dismantled an illegal telecommunications network in Chiang Mai. The sweeping operation resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals, including a 30-year-old Thai woman named Jiraporn Prakobkit. Among the arrested were one other Thai national, five Chinese citizens, and eight Myanmar nationals. All face charges related to unauthorized telecommunications activities under warrants issued by the Criminal Court.

 

The police seized a massive haul of equipment, valued at 592,235 items in total. This included 642 GSM gateway devices (commonly known as SIM boxes), 72 computers, 1,455 mobile phones, 590,000 SIM cards, 47 SIM card readers, six bank account books, along with several other electronic devices and documents.

 

The crackdown follows a previous raid on May 23, which targeted call center operations across nine provinces, seizing 96 SIM boxes and 22,830 SIM cards.

 

Police Lieutenant General Jiraphop revealed that Jiraporn was in charge of finding locations, paying bills, and setting up the SIM boxes and electronics in more than ten areas around Chiang Mai. Her Chinese husband has been identified as the gang’s leader.

 

 

The gang was found using SIM boxes to create fake social media accounts, which were sold to call centers and other online crime groups. This allowed them to execute scams by sending out verification messages known as OTPs (one-time passwords) through their system. These OTPs were then sold for one yuan (around 5 baht) to create fake accounts. By tweaking the devices, they managed to bypass social media security systems to make these accounts appear legitimate, allowing them to sell at higher prices.

 

Lt. Gen. Jiraphop added that Jiraporn confessed to leasing properties and paying bills for her husband, who provided the equipment. The other detained individuals were tasked with overseeing the properties where the SIM boxes were based.

 

These arrests are part of continuing efforts to stop call center scams that cause financial losses of tens of billions of baht each year. By targeting these illegal operations and seizing SIM boxes, authorities aim to cut off vital tools used by cybercriminals.

 

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects, especially the Chinese financiers who are currently evading capture.

 

-- 2024-11-28