The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has suspended more than three million SIM cards, as the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, according to NBTC's measures to handle alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.
According to NBTC commissioner Pol Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, the three million suspended SIM cards were put into two categories.
The first group comprises those with between six and 100 SIM card numbers who were required to verify their identities between Jan 16 and July 13 this year. The purchasers of 2,141,317 SIM cards failed to provide the verification required by the deadline.
The second group comprises people with over 100 SIM cards who had to verify their identities by Feb 14. The 1,096,000 SIM cards held by this group were suspended as the holders failed to provide the verification required by the deadline.
Pol Gen Nathathorn said the government had focused on the second group as this group had the potential to use the SIM cards to carry out fraud. That is why the verification period for this group was only 30 days after the announcement of the deadline on Jan 16 this year.
The suspended SIM cards cannot make outgoing calls or use the internet.
The NBTC's move falls in line with its latest announcement regarding identity verification measures and information regarding service usage among mobile users which was put into effect via the Royal Gazette earlier this year.
The measures required holders of more than five SIM cards to verify their identities at customer service centres or via the apps of their mobile phone operators from Jan 16 to July 13 this year.
Apart from the SIM card verification measure, Pol Gen Nathathorn said the NBTC is cooperating with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and the Thai Bankers' Association to examine 113,568,836 mobile banking accounts involving 21 banks.
It was found that names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers that conduct mobile banking transactions did not match with the names pertaining to the mobile banking accounts.
The NBTC will direct the mobile phone operators to verify the SIM card owners and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification process is expected to finish by the end of September this year.
In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have jointly cracked down on illegal telecom towers along the country’s borders by disconnecting the signal at 465 locations, adjusting the antenna direction of 470 towers, and demolishing antennas at 179 locations. They are confident the move will be able to disrupt call centre gangs and other forms of tech-based crime.
AMLO deputy secretary-general Pol Maj Gen Ekarak Limsangkat said AMLO plans to hold discussions with the banks to reduce the amount of money transfer via mobile banking channels that requires a face scan to more than 20,000 baht per transaction, down from the current level of more than 50,000 per transaction. However, this proposal requires the consent of all the banks.
Under the Bank of Thailand's measures, a facial scan on mobile devices is required for mobile money transfers of more than 50,000 baht per transaction to local or overseas accounts, transfers of more than 200,000 baht per day, and to change the limit for credit transfers on mobile devices to more than 50,000 baht per transaction.