Photo credit: Bangkok Post
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) yesterday suspended service for over 2 million mobile phone numbers after their owners missed the deadline to register their identities. The move is aimed at strengthening security and reducing fraud linked to unregistered mobile phone numbers.
The affected numbers mainly relate to individuals who own between 6 and 100 unregistered SIM cards. The suspension will prevent them from making calls, sending SMS or accessing the internet. NBTC Commissioner General of Police Natthathorn Prusoonthorn stressed the importance of the measure, saying that if the SIM cards are not registered within the next 30 to 45 days, the numbers will be permanently cancelled and redistributed.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) recently instructed the NBTC to investigate some 80 million mobile phone numbers linked to more than 113 million mobile banking accounts, a move to ensure SIM card holders match account holders and is expected to be completed by the end of next month.
“This effort is critical to national security and combating fraud, and we urge all mobile users to register their SIM cards as soon as possible to avoid service interruptions.”
The NBTC’s suspension affects 2.14 million mobile phone numbers and marks an important step in ongoing efforts to secure mobile communications and financial transactions. The move demonstrates the Thai government’s commitment to tackling fraud and the misuse of mobile services, The Pattaya News reported.
Original article: NBTC suspends SIM card usage to combat call centre fraud
Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Communications Commission (NBTC) has partnered with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) to launch a major initiative aimed at regulating mobile banking and combating call centre fraud.
The initiative resulted in the suspension of 1,096,000 phone numbers registered to users with more than 101 SIM cards.
Police Commissioner General Natthathorn Prusoonthorn, a member of the NBTC board, along with other senior police officials, convened a meeting to assess progress in tackling call centre gang activity. At the meeting, several key measures being implemented were announced.
One of the main measures is the suspension of unverified SIM cards. Users who have not verified their identity as per NBTC regulations will have their services suspended. To date, NBTC has suspended 2,141,317 unverified SIM cards. Of these, 1,096,000 SIM cards belonged to users who had more than 101 SIM cards.
The partnership also examined fraudulent mobile banking SIM cards. Through AMLO, the NBTC received data from 21 banks, covering 79 million bank accounts and 113,568,836 mobile banking phone numbers.
This data is being analyzed to ensure that the SIM card holder matches the bank account holder. The verification process is ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of July 2024.
Additionally, the NBTC is working with the Royal Thai Police to crack down on illegal telecommunication towers installed along the borders of five provinces – Tak, Chiang Rai, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi and Ranong – that have been used to operate call centre scams. So far, 29 violators have been prosecuted, according to the Pattaya Mail.
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