20-11-2024 (BANGKOK) Thai authorities have unveiled details of a sweeping operation that successfully dismantled two significant Chinese telecommunications fraud networks, revealing the unprecedented scale of their illegal activities which included over 700 million fraudulent calls and a million fake text messages.
In what police dubbed the “Criminal Bridge Blasting Operation”, investigators uncovered an elaborate scheme involving three companies that had registered more than 11,000 Bangkok-based telephone numbers beginning with “02”. The operation led to ten arrests, with fourteen suspects still at large, including a Malaysian national.
The investigation revealed that Huanyun Information Technology, Yun Tian Ke Technology, and Prima Technology exploited the SIP Trunk Solution system to orchestrate their fraud. This technology enabled the groups to operate virtual fixed-line services through the internet, circumventing traditional telecommunications infrastructure.
“These companies operated without physical presence in Thailand”, explained Police Colonel Thana Chairat. “Most of their Chinese directors have no record of entering the country, suggesting a sophisticated remote operation from neighbouring territories”.
The scale of the fraud is staggering, with records showing more than 730 million calls made through these networks. The companies’ directors included Chinese nationals who, investigation revealed, had either never entered Thailand or had departed and not returned.
In a separate but related operation, authorities apprehended 35-year-old Chinese national Yang Muyi in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area. He was found operating a sophisticated mobile base station simulator capable of transmitting fraudulent text messages. The device, discovered in his vehicle, had dispatched nearly one million deceptive messages over just three days in mid-November.
“This equipment was essentially a counterfeit AIS network transmitter”, confirmed a spokesperson from Thailand’s leading telecommunications provider, AIS. “It operated without proper licensing across multiple frequencies”.
Thai authorities have now initiated proceedings with Interpol to issue red notices for the remaining suspects. The arrested individuals face multiple charges, including conspiracy to defraud, computer crimes, participation in criminal organisations, and money laundering.
