AIS sends cyber police off on hunt for over 1,000 call-centre scammers
Advanced Info Service (AIS) has recently learned that more than 1,000 phone numbers are being used by alleged scammers and has called on the police to take action.
The mobile phone operator with the largest number of subscribers set up the AIS Spam Report Centre 1185 hotline on April 8. Since then, AIS subscribers have reported many suspicious calls and messages, and the centre has tracked more than 1,000 numbers to the alleged scammers.
“AIS customers can call the AIS Spam Report Centre for free, and thanks to calls received so far, we have learned that more than 1,000 phone numbers belong to gangsters,” said Pratthana Leelapanang, chief of the AIS consumer business department.
He said once AIS detects suspicious phone numbers, the AIS Spam Report Centre then informs the owner of the number that their service is either being blocked or suspended. This action is only applicable to AIS subscribers.
The numbers are then reported to the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, which investigates each case before arresting alleged scammers, he said.
The bureau’s chief Pol Lt-General Kornchai Klaiklueng said this AIS initiative has prompted other private firms to cooperate with police to fight against call-centre scammers.
Kornchai said cooperation with police allows the bureau to track down suspects much faster. He said his bureau was now compiling information provided by AIS to get summonses against suspects so it can take legal action.