Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) officers have shut down a store selling illegal mobile phone SIM cards in Nong Khai with ties to fraudulent call centres.
The bust, led by CCIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha, took place in Muang district of the northeastern province on Saturday, in accordance with the Technology Crime Prevention and Suppression Act.
Police were able to locate the store after tracking online comments made by buyers. The store operated through a web-based front, falsely claiming to offer registered SIM cards ready for use and garnering numerous positive reviews.
Using the information obtained from the reviews, authorities staged a sting operation targeting Kitipat Telecom, identified as a physical store within the distribution network, luring it into selling registered SIM cards.
Police said the owner of the shop, identified as Kitipat Jirasitkarun, 56, admitted that the SIM cards being sold were registered under other individuals’ names. He has been charged with supplying illegal mobile phone numbers.
During the operation, the officers seized 180 SIM cards that had been prepared for distribution, with an additional 496 cards awaiting purchase.
The seizure is part of an ongoing effort to combat call centre gangs, as they regularly purchase registered SIM cards to carry out illegal activities.
