BANGKOK — Thai authorities launched a major operation targeting call center gangs. They raided the suspected locations across the country and arrested three Vietnamese nationals and four Myanmar nationals with hi-speed simboxes.
The Royal Thai Police announced the results of the operation with the Customs Department, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) at the Central Investigation Bureau headquarters on May 31, 2024.
The authorities arrested seven suspects: three Vietnamese nationals, Mr. Quang Thin Bui (35 years old), Mr. Danh Quyen Duong (35 years old) and Mr. Vananh Nguyen (47 years old), as well as four Myanmar nationals. The seized items included 102 Simbox devices, 134 Starlink satellite internet receivers, nearly 50,000 SIM cards, signal distribution devices, computers and various peripherals.
The first major target was a warehouse in Moo 8, Phai Tam Subdistrict, Nong Khae District, Saraburi Province, which was identified as the base for the call center network. Six Simbox devices, internet signal distribution devices and CCTV cameras were discovered during the raid.
Three Vietnamese men were arrested; one claimed to be responsible for arranging rental space and installing internet at various locations on behalf of another, while the other two claimed to be merely employees.
The authorities confiscated four Starlink devices, 96 Simbox or GSM gateway devices, 18 computers, 24 screens, around 27,019 foreign SIM cards (from Hong Kong) and 6,770 Thai SIM cards.
Customs officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport had previously been alerted to the import of 21 Starlink devices and tens of thousands of SIM cards because they suspected that they could be used for technology-related crimes. This led to further investigations and the subsequent raids.
In addition, officers from Division 4 of the Central Investigation Bureau raided a suspicious house in Chiang Mai province. During the raid, signal boosters, internet transmission devices, over 30 state-owned radios and more than 50 pairs of handcuffs were seized and four Myanmar nationals were arrested. Based on interrogations, police believe the items were destined for call center networks in neighboring countries.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said that call center gangs use Thailand as a hub for ordering and transporting equipment. The seizure represents the largest simbox operation in Thai history, which can make 3,200 simultaneous calls or millions of calls per day when fully operational.
It is believed that these call center gangs mainly operate in neighboring countries where there are no efficient internet signals. Therefore, they rely on internet connections from Thailand. The authorities have negotiated with the operators in the past to cut off signal transmission to neighboring countries and have achieved good cooperation.
As a result, the call center gangs have switched to Starlink satellite internet systems, but require numerous devices for stable signals.
