The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has issued a public alert identifying four suspicious behaviours commonly associated with foreign-operated call centre scam rings that covertly establish operational bases in residential areas.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over the rise in tech-related crimes, particularly financial losses caused by phone-call fraudsters impersonating government officials.
Pol Maj Gen Siriwat Deepor, deputy spokesman for the RTP office, said national police chief Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch is deeply concerned about the growing threat posed by call centre scams.
These criminal groups often rent condominiums or private homes to avoid detection while using phones and social media to target victims both in Thailand and abroad.
To assist the public in identifying potential scam operations, the police outlined four red-flag behaviours: groups of foreign nationals with no clear occupation, frequent foreign-language phone conversations, curtains always drawn, lights off by day and on at night, and a lot of communications equipment.
With the first trait, typically 3-6 individuals rent short-term accommodation, avoid interaction with neighbours, and exhibit irregular hours of activity.
For the second one, there are continuous, repetitive conversations in foreign languages, often resembling scripted calls aimed at deceiving victims.
With the third, the behaviour is indicative of nighttime operations aligned with the time zones of targeted victims abroad, with efforts to conceal interior activities.
With the fourth, rooms are filled with extension cords, multiple computers, phones, and routers, and there are frequent visits from individuals delivering or repairing equipment.
The police urge the public to report any such suspicious activity to help dismantle these illegal operations.
Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has tightened regulations on SIM box and gateway device ownership.
NBTC acting secretary-general Trairat Viriyasirikul announced that as of Oct 23, individuals possessing SIM boxes or gateway devices with four or more SIM cards must obtain a licence within 90 days. Failure to comply may result in up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 100,000 baht or both. This follows the NBTC’s earlier directive, effective Aug 30, which introduced eight preventive measures for telecom operators to combat tech-related crimes.