NBTC warns mule SIM openers face up to 3 years in jail under a new law
NBTC warns anyone paid to register “mule SIMs” could face up to three years in jail and a 300,000-baht fine under the amended Technology Crime Decree.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has warned the public that accepting payment to register so-called ‘mule SIM cards’ carries heavy penalties under Thailand’s amended technology-crime law, including up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 300,000 baht.
Trairat Viriyasirikul, deputy secretary-general and acting secretary-general of the NBTC, said criminals are increasingly luring members of the public, including children and young people, into registering mobile numbers they do not use. These ‘mule SIMs’ are then used as tools to commit online offences or technology-related crimes.
The NBTC said anyone who uses their personal data to open a SIM on someone else’s behalf, or agrees to hand over a SIM to another person, could face criminal liability if it can be proven that the number was used to commit a technology-related crime, under the Royal Decree on Measures for the Prevention and Suppression of Technology Crime BE 2566 (2023), as amended (No. 2) BE 2568 (2025).
Under the decree, the owner of a mule SIM is liable to up to three years’ imprisonment, or a fine of up to 300,000 baht, or both.
Anyone who brokers, arranges, or advertises the buying, selling, renting, or lending of bank accounts, electronic cards, electronic money accounts, or mobile phone numbers is liable to two to five years’ imprisonment, or a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 baht, or both.
“Accepting payment, or agreeing to have a mule SIM opened, carries the risk that the buyer or the person who agreed will become a suspect in a criminal case, because they consented to someone else using the phone number while knowing it would be used to commit an offence. This can result in both imprisonment and a fine,” Trairat said.
The NBTC said it will continue cracking down on mule SIMs and enforcing its measures. It urged the public to be cautious about allowing others to use their personal data and facial scans to open SIM cards for transactions, or to register SIM cards for other people.
If people find their name registered to a ‘mule SIM’, or wish to provide information about online scammers, they can file an online police report at www.thaipoliceonline.com or call the Anti Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC) hotline on 1441, available 24 hours a day.
