Telecom operators asked to explain SIM cards seized from Chinese suspects

[webfact]

Telecom operators asked to explain SIM cards seized from Chinese suspects
By Chatchawan Sopapan
The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- THE NATIONAL telecom watchdog will summon three major telecom operators over the recent discovery of more than 300,000 SIM cards allegedly used to manipulate Chinese social media.

 

Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), said yesterday that the three telecom giants would have to provide information on the case.

 

On Sunday, police found three Chinese suspects in possession of 347,000 SIM cards in a rented house in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaew province. 

 

During interrogation, the suspects confessed to using the SIM cards to generate likes and page views for online advertisements in exchange for Bt150,000 a month. The inflated responses can mislead advertisers and investors. “NBTC officials are on their way to Sa Kaew to verify if these SIM cards have undergone proper registration,” Takorn said, “And we need to talk to the telecom operators too.”

 

According to police, the seized SIM cards were from DTAC, AIS and True Corporation. 

 

Sa Kaew immigration chief Pol Colonel Benjapon Rodsawas said yesterday that a True team had already checked the SIM cards seized by police. “The team has retrieved data from the SIMs and promised to double-check them with their headquarters to find out who were the agents who sold the cards,” Benjapon said. “True has said it will also determine if its employees were involved in the reported misdeed.”

 

DTAC, meanwhile, had asked police to send photos of the SIM cards. “AIS has yet to contact us,” he added. He said information provided by the telecom operators would assist with the ongoing police investigation. 

 

At present, the three Chinese suspects are being detained on charges of working without a permit and of possessing mobile phones believed to have been smuggled into Thailand.

 

However, no Thai laws can be used to prosecute them for manipulating social media, as they reportedly targeted only Chinese products.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30318094

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-15

[ezzra]

 

Yeah, I say, that some serious expiations has be made here that

While the rest of us asked to provide all sorts of ID's (and soon finger prints as well)

to buy a single SIM card, those guys are able to buy so many SIM cards apparently unimpeded

by the laws and rules will forced to abide with....

Edited June 14, 2017 by ezzra

[gk10002000]

So they want to check if the SIM cards were properly registered eh?  1: Don't foreigners have to go through the registration process, show passport, etc.?  347,000 SIM cards would imply a lot of foreigners.  2: If not foreigners, do Thai citizens have to register SIM cards?  I find it unlikely that so many SIM cards were handled, touched, and bought by individuals

[trogers]

Looking at the packaging, I suspect these SIM cards were bought at wholesale prices too, probably ex-factory.

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

347,000 SIM cards

 

It's possible a Soi 6 bargirl left them behind in a taxi. 

 

BIB can keep the cards, but please just send her a CSV file with all her valuable contacts.

 

[YetAnother]

this is inline with deceptions practiced here

[NCC1701A]

amazing how each new law is broken in some outrageous way.

 

 

[fruitman]

Well is it illegal to visit websites and getting paid per view? That's how advertisers pay for each visit on their site..

 

The chinese used real cellphones, real sim's, only fake thing was the owner did it 1000 times a day but that's not illegal i guess. 

[Srikcir]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

no Thai laws can be used to prosecute them for manipulating social media, as they reportedly targeted only Chinese products.

Might not be correct.

Computer Crime Act B.E 2550 (2007), Chapter 1, Computer-Related Offences

(An unofficial translation of the Computer Crime Act)

 

Section 14. If any person commits any offence of the following acts shall be subject to imprisonment for not more than five years or a fine of not more than one hundred thousand baht or both:

(1) that involves import to a computer system of forged computer data, either in whole or in part, or false computer data, in a manner that is likely to cause damage to that third party or the public

 

[just.a.thought]

If Facebook generates fake likes then they are in breach of their contract for advertising, hopefully they'll be exposed now.