Police arrest two men in call centre scam, seize SIM box

Police apprehended a Taiwanese man and a Thai man involved in a call centre scam, seizing a SIM box used for signal distribution. They face three charges after equipment detection led to their location.

Yesterday, July 27, Chiang Rai Provincial Police Chief Manop Senakul, along with Deputy Chief Rattapol Noichangkit and Ban Du Police Station Chief Ananchak Kanoknopawat, interrogated Lin Chun Hung, a Taiwanese national, and Sopan, a resident of Chiang Rai province. Police confiscated a set of SIM boxes and an internet signal distribution device.

The investigation began on July 25, when the Region 5 Investigation Division received information through a project that tracks and analyses the phone numbers used by call centre gangs. The investigation revealed that tools and equipment were hidden in a condo project in Ban Du, Mueang District, Chiang Rai.

Police gathered evidence and obtained a search warrant from Chiang Rai Provincial Court, warrant number K.206/2024. Upon searching Building G, Room G03, the officers found one tp-link ip camera model tapo C200 and one tp-link Internet signal distribution device model Archer MR600. Lin Chun Hung and Sopan were arrested at the scene.

Lin Chun Hung had installed various devices to distribute phone signals, randomly generating numbers so that the call recipient could not identify the caller’s origin. Lin hired Sopan as a translator to help coordinate the operations for a daily wage of 1,000 baht (US$30).

Police believe this operation was part of a larger call centre gang evading detection, and further investigations are underway to find other members involved, reported KhaoSod.

SIM boxes, or mobile signal distribution devices, are generally not allowed for public installation and use without official permission. During the search, the police found the devices were installed and operating. Both suspects face three charges:

1. Jointly making, possessing, using, importing, exporting, or trading telecommunications equipment without a license, as per Section 6 of the Telecommunications Act B.E. 2498.
2. Jointly setting up a telecommunications station without a license, as per Section 11 of the Telecommunications Act B.E. 2498.
3. Jointly using frequency waves for telecommunications operations without permission, classified as a type three telecommunications business, as per Section 67(3) of the Telecommunications Business Act.