NBTC suspends SIM cards to tackle call centre scams
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) of Thailand, in partnership with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), launched a significant operation aimed at regulating mobile banking and combating call centre scams.
The initiative led to the suspension of 1,096,000 phone numbers registered to users holding more than 101 SIM cards.
A member of the NBTC board, Police General Nathathorn Prousoontorn, alongside other high-ranking officials, convened a meeting to assess the progress in addressing call centre gang activities. During the meeting, they unveiled several key measures being implemented.
One of the primary actions involves suspending unverified SIM cards. Users who have not verified their identities in accordance with NBTC regulations will have their services suspended. So far, NBTC has suspended 2,141,317 unverified SIM cards. Among these, 1,096,000 SIM cards were held by users possessing 101 or more SIM cards.
The partnership also scrutinised fraudulent mobile banking SIM cards. NBTC received data from 21 banks through AMLO, covering 79 million bank accounts and 113,568,836 mobile banking phone numbers.
This data is being analysed to ensure that SIM card owners match the bank account holders. The verification process is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of July 2024.
In addition, NBTC, in collaboration with the Royal Thai Police, is cracking down on illegal telecom signal towers installed along the border in five provinces: Tak, Chiang Rai, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Ranong. These towers have been facilitating the operations of call centre scams. To date, 29 offenders have been prosecuted, reported Pattaya Mail.
In related news, cyber police arrested members of a call centre gang impersonating officials from the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) and defrauding a high-ranking female official from the Ministry of Justice of over 700,000 baht.
In other news, a man has turned himself in after allegedly fatally shooting his uncle in a dispute over a mobile phone SIM card. The gunman, who was previously an assistant village headman, resigned following a positive drug test.
