Thai police arrested Chinese hackers involved in SMS blaster attacks

Thai authorities arrested fraud gangs in Bangkok for SMS blaster attacks, they used fake cell towers to send thousands of malicious SMS messages to nearby phones.

Thai authorities arrested members of two Chinese cybercrime organizations, one of these groups carried out SMS blaster attacks. The crooks were driving through Bangkok’s streets while sending hundreds of thousands of malicious SMS text messages to nearby cell phones.

“One of these gangs had disguised themselves as a legitimate company to register phone numbers ’02-xxxxxxx’ used to deceive the public. Another using False Base Stations to send fake SMS messages to victims” states the Thai news outlet Khaosod.

“Thai authorities announced last week the arrests of two organized fraud gangs, one of which was accused of driving through the streets of Bangkok while blasting hundreds of thousands of malicious SMS text messages to nearby cell phones.” first reported TechCrunch. “This “SMS blasting” attack relies on using technology that impersonates cellular base stations and is capable of transmitting thousands of messages to devices within a close geographical radius.”

An SMS blaster attack is a cyberattack where a large number of malicious or fraudulent SMS messages are sent to mobile devices within a specific area or to a targeted group. Attackers often use rogue cell towers to impersonate legitimate cellular base stations, transmitting messages en masse. These attacks aim at spreading malware by including malicious links that infect devices, phish information by tricking users into sharing personal or financial data, and causing disruptions by overwhelming networks or targeting individuals with spam.

SMS blaster attacks can exploit vulnerabilities in mobile networks and typically require proximity to the targeted devices for localized attacks.

Thai authorities uncovered call center gangs using fake “02” numbers to deceive citizens into scams and fraudulent investments, generating over 700 million calls.

Thai cyber police uncovered three companies using SIP Trunk technology to operate fake “02” numbers, generating 730 million scam calls. The firms—Huanyun Information Technology, Yun Tian Ke Technology, and Prima Technology—registered over 11,000 numbers and made millions of fraudulent call attempts. Most directors, primarily Chinese nationals, lacked immigration records in Thailand, with one leaving in August 2023 and not returning. One suspect from the scheme has been arrested.

Thai cyber police, with the assistance of Advanced Info Service (AIS), arrested a Chinese man named Yang for operating a fake SMS transmitter from a vehicle on Sukhumvit Road. Police discovered equipment in his vehicle, including a base station simulator, an 8,000W power station, a WiFi router, and several mobile phones. The equipment sent nearly 1 million fraudulent messages in 3 days. Yang faces charges for illegal telecommunications operations, with investigations ongoing to uncover his network and mastermind

Thai police issued warrants for 24 suspects, including 9 foreigners and 15 Thais. Ten suspects, 9 Thai and 1 Myanmar national, have been arrested. Interpol is assisting in tracking the foreign suspects. The suspects were charged with fraud, money laundering, and operating as money mule account holders.

“In the second operation, collaborating with AIS (Advanced Info Service), police investigated criminals driving vehicles equipped with fake SMS transmitters, sending messages like “Your 9,268 points are about to expire! Claim your gift now!” around busy areas of Sukhumvit Road” continues Khaosod.

The investigation is still ongoing, the cyber police have yet to identify the mastermind and network behind this operation.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, SMS blaster)