Thai police successfully cracked down on a Chinese scam gang active in downtown Bangkok, arresting two suspects and seizing a large number of crime tools.
The gang sent scam messages to the public by installing fake base station equipment, using fraudulent SMS to lure victims into clicking on money-siphoning links, committing telecommunications fraud.
Thai police raided a residence in the Bueng Kum district of Bangkok, arresting 49-year-old Chinese suspect Li Chuyuan and 47-year-old Zhu Xiangwu, and seized a Honda CR-V equipped with fake base station equipment. Additionally, the police confiscated 11 mobile phones, several bank books, ATM cards, and over 30 SIM cards.
The police investigation found that the gang used fake base station equipment to send fraudulent SMS with scam links, targeting multiple commercial areas in downtown Bangkok, including ICONSIAM mall, Asiatique the Riverfront night market, and Central World mall, areas with high foot traffic.
The fake base station's signal range could reach 1-3 kilometers, capable of weakening the local real base station signals, thereby aiding the scam gang in committing crimes.
According to the police, Li Chuyuan and Zhu Xiangwu entered Thailand in mid-December last year, claiming to work as tour guides. However, during preliminary interrogation, both denied involvement in the scam activities, claiming the vehicle was borrowed.
Nevertheless, further investigation by the police provided evidence of the two sending scam SMS multiple times over the past four days, ultimately leading to their arrest. Currently, the police are still actively pursuing another fugitive Chinese suspect from the gang.
The Director of Corporate Relations at Thailand's AIS company reminded the public after the case was exposed that legitimate mobile operators in Thailand do not send SMS containing suspicious links, only scam gangs contact victims in this manner. He urged the public to be cautious if they receive SMS containing links, to avoid becoming victims of scams.
