Crime

Government Joins With Banks to Combat Online Scams in Thailand

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2023

Bchcomber

The Government of Thailand has announced it plans to launch the Central Fraud Registry as an automated way to combat online scams and illicit transactions, fraud, and mule accounts.

The platform evolved from the Thai Bankers’ Association (TBA) and the Bank of Thailand’s existing National Interbank Transaction Management and Exchange.

The platform, according to Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) permanent secretary Wisit Wisitsora-at, was created to supplement a recent royal order on cybercrime prevention and suppression, which gives victims, banks, and authorities greater choices in combating online frauds and other unlawful internet activity.

TBA chairman Payong Srivanich previously told the Bangkok Post that the registry would be a new inspection entity in addition to the TBA’s current Thailand Banking Sector Computer Emergency Response Team.

According to Mr. Wisit, the registration platform allows banks and other organisations to restrict suspected accounts from completing transactions using an artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Every day, 600 complaints regarding fraud and online scams are filed across all complaint centres and websites, compared to an average of 800 prior to the royal order.

He stated that the ministry expects complaints to drop to 100 per day by the end of the year.

The royal order permits victims of internet scams to file for the instant suspension of mule accounts formed using their stolen identity via 15 bank hotline lines, as well as to register scam complaints with police stations, both physically and online.

The rule also allows banks to temporarily suspend a suspected mule account and employ AI technology to probe unlawful transactions without having to wait for fraud to occur. According to Mr Wisit, this makes the legislation one of the most effective tools for ensuring security.

He also stated that the DES Ministry will seek digital transformation to assist bridge the digital divide across the country, as well as strive for more affordable services.

Mr Wisit stated that the ministry has a policy to encourage the adoption of innovation across all government ministries.

He believes that safe and secure digital services, particularly in payment networks, can boost consumer confidence.

According to Mr Wisit, one barrier for mobile users, online shoppers, and merchants is the prevalence of scams, particularly via mobile traffic.

He also stated that the ministry is focusing on preventing mule accounts through mobile banking, in which scammers employ nominees to open bank accounts on their behalf in order to perform unlawful transactions.

The Public Sector Development Commission’s Office directed the DES Ministry to assist all ministries in transitioning to digital-driven operations.

By 2024, the government expects all 8,000 state entities to use an e-document procedure in their everyday operations.

Warning Over top 10 Online Scams in Thailand

The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) issued a warning last month about the top 10 methods scammers use to defraud victims.

According to CCIB spokeswoman Pol Col Krissana Pattanacharoen, the bureau intended to alert people following an increase in reported online scam victims.

He stated that since the bureau’s online complaint submission centre launched on March 1, last year, around 37,900 persons have filed complaints, totaling 4.59 billion baht in total damage.

Scam communications can be delivered via a variety of channels, including short message services (SMS), online ad displays on social media, and human calls, all of which promise victims a huge income from simple online work.

According to Pol Col Krissana, the top ten methods include arranging online purchases, in which a scammer sends a link impersonating prominent e-commerce sites such as Shopee, Lazada, or Amazon to victims, who are then asked to place and pay for orders that they never get.

Another fraud is earning money by clicking “like” or “share” buttons. Another option is to get money by viewing videos on YouTube or TikTok. A fourth tactic is to pay for product or service reviews, and a fifth is to post advertisements looking for someone to spend the night in a hotel.

Other methods include advertising for packing products, doing crafts at home, increasing internet viewership, being fashion critics, and short video editing for those without experience.

All of them entail the victim parting with money. This is sometimes done in order to be eligible for “special tasks,” which entail additional incentives for doing something incorrectly or failing to complete the task. Scammers always ask for large sums of money and then leave, according to Pol Col Krissana.

He encouraged people not to apply for employment via text messages or internet ads that promise quick money, and to check Chaladohn.com for blacklisted phone and bank account numbers.

Crime

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested for Running Scam Call Center

Published

7 months ago

July 20, 2024

Thomas3940

Police Officer Being Ordained at Temple Arrested

Police in Northern Thailand have arrested a fellow officer as he was being ordained at a temple in Ngao district of neighbouring Lampang province.

Contents

Pol Lt Col Bandit Khonkan chief inspector from the Hang Dong police station was disrobed and taken to the Chang Puak station in Chiang Mai. He was arrested on charges of running a call centre scam gang in Chiang Mai Province.

According to Thai Media Chiang Mai Provincial Police Region 5 obtained an arrest warrant for Pol Lt Col Bandit on Friday from the Chiang Mai Provincial Court for procuring illegal telecom equipment, setting up a station and using public airwaves to run a telecommunications business without permission.

Pol Lt Col Bandit reportedly told investigators that he was not the ringleader and was only a member of the gang with Chinese partners.

His arrest followed the apprehension of his 26-year-old daughter, Miss Wanuchapond, 26, and three others during raids at three housing projects in Chiang Mai on Friday, Pol Maj Gen Weerachon Boontawee, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 5 told Thai media.

During the raids police police discovered around 12 GSM gateways, or SIM boxes, which are devices used for converting cellular networks into mobile phone numbers used domestically.

The chief inspectors daughter Miss Wanuchapond told the arresting officers that she was paid 8,000 baht a month at each of the three locations for renting thr rooms and monitoring devices.

She claimed she had no idea what the devices were and accepted the job because the pay was attractive.

Police investigators working with telecom regulators used a special tracking device to monitor the gang’s communications and learned that its base was in Myanmar opposite Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai.

The call center gang used the GSM gateways to make calls over the internet to scam people in Thailand out of million of baht.

The GSM gateways transmitting signals via SIM boxes to convert them into domestic phone numbers, duping victims into thinking they were being called from Thai government agencies.

Pol Maj Gen Weerachon said that each SIM box held 32 SIM cards, with a capacity of up to 300,000 calls a month. The seized devices had made fraudulent calls over 3.6 million times.

He said the their investigation is ongoing and they are working to track down the remaining conspirators, including Chinese and other Thai suspects.

Authorities are still deciding whether Pol Lt Col Bandit will be dismissed from the force, he said, adding that so far, no other officers are known to have been involved.

Police in Chiang Rai Launch Crackdown on Cyber Criminals in Golden Triangle

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.

On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.

His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.

Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/

Crime

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourists Over Home Invasions

Published

7 months ago

July 20, 2024

Thomas3940

Thai Immigration Police Arrest Colombian Tourist

Immigration police officers have arrested four Colombian nationals in connection with a series of home burglaries at luxury housing complexes in the Bangkok metropolitan area and Chiang Buri Province.

Contents

Police called to home invasion Other Bangkok News:Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Pol Maj Gen Panthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, told a press briefing that three of the suspects were apprehended in Nonthaburi Province and the fourth in South Pattaya, Chon Buri Province.

According to the Bangkok Post, the Colombians were charged with stealing conspiracy and seized around 3 million baht (US$82,500.00).

According to Pol Maj Gen Panthana, the criminals rode motorcycles through housing estates, scoping out the properties and waiting for the owners to depart before committing their crimes.

He stated that all four of the accused denied any involvement in the home break-ins, but the arresting squad discovered evidence that implicated them.

Police called to home invasion

Meanwhile, police were dispatched to a luxury housing development in Tambon Nong Prue, Chonburi Province, after a Chinese man was attacked during a house invasion.

When they arrived, they discovered the house owner, Mr. Qian Peng Yi, visibly scared and with marks from being tied up with a cable. He informed police that three Chinese males broke into his home at 9 p.m., one of whom brandished a gun at him and directed him to his bedroom.

They bound his hands and feet, gagged him with fabric, taped his head, and forced him into the bed. The intruders then attempted to compel him into transferring 10 million baht in cryptocurrencies to them, endangering the life of his 33-year-old cousin who was in a second-floor bedroom.

While they scoured the house in search of riches, Mr. Peng Yi managed to flee and hide; he subsequently observed them leave with his cousin. Officials investigated the property and analyzed security camera footage from the incident and surrounding areas.

Around 9 p.m., a 30-year-old van driver came at the Bang Lamung police station after being contacted by an agency to carry Chinese customers from Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The driver informed authorities that he was supposed to pick them up at a motel about a kilometer from the Chinese businessman’s home. He then drove them to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, arriving at 1 a.m. and receiving 1,800 baht.

The driver took a snapshot of the group smoking at the airport gate and identified one of them as the victim’s cousin. Police suspected coordination between her and the three suspects in her cousin’s heist, who all departed Thailand on the same aircraft.

Other Bangkok News:

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Police in Bangkok Discover Six Vietnamese Tourists Dead in 5 Star Hotel

Crime

Son of Thailand’s Leading Legal Scholar on Corruption Arrested for Running Online Gambling Network

Published

7 months ago

July 17, 2024

Thomas3940

The son of a former senator and leading economist and expert on corruption and gambling in Thailand has been arrested for on charges of running an online gambling network and its payment system.

Contents

Police from Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) have confiscated assets worth more than (US$ 11.1 million) 400 million baht.

Narote Piriyarangsan, 33, was arrested following crackdowns in three sites around the city, according to Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the police Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD).

Mr Narote’s father, Sangsit Piriyarangsan, is an economist who has written articles and books about corruption and gambling. He was one of the appointed senators that were investigating the government’s intention to legalize casino gaming before their terms expired.

Police also detained 39-year-old Narayut Narakaew, the owner of the gambling website 69pgslot.com. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the couple for operating an internet gambling service and money laundering.

According to the Bangkok Post, police seized two desktop computers, one laptop computer, 14 mobile phones, 21 bank passbooks, 53 ATM cards, and four high-end cars — a Ferrari 926 GTS, an Aston Martin, a Lexus, and a Subaru — totaling more than 400 million baht.

Police launched the inquiry after discovering the online gambling site, which accepted funds via an automatic deposit-withdrawal system through bank accounts and deposits in the AskMePay system. Players scanned the VPay QR code as well as the QR codes for Heng Online 888 or Heng Pay Company.

Police also discovered that payments received via QR code scans were transferred to the account of Heng Pay Co and then to the gambling website’s mule accounts using AskMePay, which did not use banks’ face recognition scanning. An inquiry indicated a monthly turnover of approximately 5 billion baht.

According to investigators, the website has been up and running for around four years, with the payment mechanism in use for roughly eight months.

According to Pol Maj Gen Athip, Mr Narote owns the gaming website’s payment systems and is the director of Heng Pay Co. After gathering evidence, authorities requested arrest warrants for 14 people.

Thailand does not allow almost any kind of gaming. Even though the law doesn’t say anything specific about online gaming, it is still considered gambling. The country has pretty strict rules about gambling. Thai punters can bet on the national lottery and horse races, but they can’t bet on any other types of games.

But it’s not a secret that there is a huge illegal gaming business in Thailand, even though it’s illegal.

The illegal casinos, online betting shops, underground lotteries, and pop-up bookies that take bets on everything from cockfights to Muay Thai make a shadow economy that is worth billions of dollars every year.