Foreign hacker wanted by FBI arrested in Phuket hotel
Cybercrime suspect caught after CCIB was notified of his arrival
Police arrested a foreign hacker, wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), at a hotel in the Thalang district of Phuket yesterday, November 12.
The Commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), Police Lieutenant General Suraphon Prembut, announced the successful cooperation between Thai officials and the FBI. Suraphon explained that Thai police had been notified about the 35 year old wanted hacker who planned to travel to Thailand.
The foreign suspect, whose nationality was withheld, was accused of breaching security systems and attacking government agencies’ online networks across Europe and the United States.
Officers from the CCIB, together with the Immigration Bureau and the Tourist Police, tracked down the suspect and found that he had arrived in Phuket via Phuket International Airport on October 30. He later checked into a hotel in the Thalang area.
Police requested search and arrest warrants from the Office of the Attorney General before raiding the accommodation yesterday. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
Several electronic devices, including a laptop, mobile phones, and a digital wallet, were seized for further forensic examination.
FBI officers were also present during the arrest as observers. The suspect has since been handed over to the Office of the Attorney General to begin formal extradition proceedings to the United States.
In a related case, cyber police officers reported yesterday that they had successfully seized 14 million baht in cryptocurrency from another foreign hacker. They discovered that six Thai nationals had fallen victim to this criminal. The seized funds are now safely held in an official digital wallet and will later be returned to the victims.
The nationality of the foreign hacker in that case was not disclosed, but police reported that he came from a European country located near Asia.
In October, a representative from a group of ride-hailing drivers filed a complaint with the Phuket governor after their app accounts were hacked, leading to losses of thousands of baht.
The drivers said their accounts had been blocked by the Department of Land Transport for failing to register as public transport drivers. When they tried to regain access, hackers offered to unlock the accounts.
The victims were tricked into sharing their usernames, passwords, and personal details, and were persuaded to transfer service fees of between 3,000 and 7,000 baht to mule accounts before realising they had been scammed.
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