Two Hong Kong men were apprehended at Siam Paragon on Tuesday evening by the police. They are accused of sending deceptive text messages containing fraudulent links to pilfer money from the mobile banking accounts of phone users frequenting Bangkok’s shopping malls.
Arrested in front of the mall in Pathumwan district, Tai Loi (43) and Man Lok Lee (25) were found in possession of a portable electronic device referred to as a false base station or “Stingray” along with four mobile phones. According to Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhonbancha, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, the suspects employed these devices to initiate deceitful communications informing mobile phone users about expiring reward points, prompting them to click on links to claim prizes.
Upon clicking these links, victims were redirected to counterfeit webpages where they were coerced into providing personal information, resulting in the loss of all funds from their mobile banking accounts. The exact amount obtained through this fraudulent scheme remains undisclosed.
The Stingray utilized by the suspects had the capability to transmit text messages to 20,000 to 30,000 phone numbers within a one-kilometre radius. Typically targeting shopping malls and marketplaces where a large number of individuals conduct transactions using mobile banking accounts, such scammers exploit crowded environments to carry out their illicit activities.
During interrogations, the Hong Kong men informed the authorities that they had encountered an individual named Aken in Malaysia, who instructed them to retrieve the device from a backpack left by a Thai individual at the Erawan Shrine and transport it to specified locations. Claiming ignorance regarding the device’s purpose, the suspects also mentioned visits to CentralWorld and Iconsiam shopping complexes.
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