Thai police arrest SMS Blaster operator in smishing scam and bust crypto laundering gang moving $30M monthly through cross-border networks. Learn how law enforcement arrested on-the-ground scam operators with SMS blasters and dismantled a cross-border money laundering network.
A series of successful operations by Thai law enforcement has led to the disruption of two distinct cybercrime rings. In separate cases, police have targeted the low-level operators of physical scam equipment and a high-level, international money laundering network.
On Sunday, according to Thai daily newspaper Khaosod, the Technology Crime Suppression Division of the Thai police, in partnership with the country’s largest mobile provider, AIS, held a joint press conference to announce the arrest of two young Thai men in Bangkok. The pair, both in their early twenties, were caught with an SMS blaster, a device that can send more than 20,000 scam messages a day within a range of one to two kilometres.
The arrests were made on August 8 after a tip about a Mazda vehicle on New Petchburi Road. The duo admitted to driving the device around Bangkok on at least three occasions since August 2, claiming they were paid around $75 a day by a Chinese boss they communicated with on Telegram.
The scam messages used familiar themes like fake prize notifications or expiring loyalty points and directed victims to a fraudulent website designed to steal their banking information.
While the arrest highlights the direct threat of smishing scams, Thai authorities are also focused on dismantling the larger criminal organizations behind them.
In a separate announcement, the Royal Thai Police revealed the results of Operation Skyfall, a major crackdown on a sophisticated money laundering network. This operation successfully dismantled a cross-border syndicate that used fake investment schemes to funnel over 1 billion baht ($30 million) monthly to a Chinese ringleader in Myanmar.
In this operation, police worked with cryptocurrency firm Binance to trace illicit funds that were moved through a complex network of digital currency transactions. The collaboration with Binance’s investigations team was crucial, as traditional banking methods would have been unable to follow the digital trail.
Investigation found that victims were lured into downloading a fake app called Ulela Max and transferring money that was then converted into the cryptocurrency USDT. This laundered money was routed through various accounts in Cambodia before reaching the leader.
The operation resulted in 28 arrest warrants and the seizure of cash worth 46 million baht (around $1.4 million), which was confiscated from three Myanmar nationals who were preparing to smuggle the funds.
The success of both operations underlines the need for new strategies to fight cybercrime. While seizing equipment like SMS blasters may effectively stop scams, authorities recognise that it is not a complete solution, as criminal bosses can easily hire new people and acquire new equipment. Therefore, the focus is now on a more proactive approach, like making their possession illegal and using border controls to prevent them from entering the country.
