Thai Cyber Police arrest man selling millions of personal data, evading bank regulations for large transactions
A recent crackdown by Thai Cyber Police led to the arrest of a 24 year old Bangkok man selling the personal data of 15 million individuals. This information was obtained from the customer base of a well-known supplement brand and a grey business group.
The suspect, who was apprehended from his residence in Thawi Watthana District, Bangkok also offered software that could send mass text messages and capture faces on mule accounts for transactions exceeding 50,000 baht (US$1,431).
The suspect, Suphakorn (surname withheld), sold the personal data to grey business groups, online gambling websites and call centres involved in deceptive behaviours. He purchased this information from a group of customers who had previously bought a well-known supplement brand and another grey group. The personal data of over 15 million individuals was then posted for sale on Facebook. Suphakorn’s illicit business brought in more than 400,000 baht.
In addition to personal data, Suphakorn also sold software that could send mass text messages and a software program that could capture the faces on mule accounts. This software was particularly useful for groups that wanted to buy and sell mule accounts. It could scan faces before transferring money, confirming identities for transactions exceeding 50,000 baht, reported KhaoSod.
This software was developed to circumvent the Bank of Thailand’s regulation that required customers to verify their identities with biometrics when transferring more than 50,000 baht and over 200,000 baht in a day. The program could capture and store the account holder’s face from the moment it was activated, eliminating the need for further face scans.
In a separate case, the Thai Cyber Police arrested two Myanmar nationals who were managing finances for an online romance scam operation. This operation deceived seven victims, causing damages of more than 18,542,500 baht (US$530,695).
At 1pm today, Police Lieutenant General Worawat Watnakornbancha, the commissioner of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, will hold a press conference at the TCSD headquarters in Muang Thong Thani to summarise the results of the operation.
