Police on Tuesday arrested three Chinese men who used Thailand as a base to set up bogus accounts on WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app, and sold them on the black market.
Chaoqun Qi, 25, Jinxiu Qi, 23, and Zhenhao Qi, 25, were arrested at a hotel on Ratchadaphisek Road. Police also seized 116 smartphones, 90 charging cables, charging ports, SIM cards and computers, Pol Col Padon Chandon of the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) said.
The suspects were charged with working without a work permit.
They allegedly bought Thai SIM cards from several locations and installed them in jailbroken phones brought from China, which they then used to create WeChat accounts.
The accounts were sold on the black market in China, where they were in high demand and could be used for unlawful purposes.
Pol Col Padon said the police were tipped off of to the syndicate’s presence by a local person who became suspicious because the three men did not leave their room, always ordered room service meals and would not allow the maid to clean the room.
The police said the suspects had set up more than a thousand bogus accounts each day.
These accounts could be used by terrorists and transnational criminals, which could affect Thailand's image, he said.