Thai and Cambodian police will work together to combat call centre scams, said national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol, who expects concrete results within a short period.
Speaking after a video conference meeting with his Cambodian counterpart, Sar Thet, yesterday, he said both sides will step up collaboration in stamping out call centre gangs, which are rampant in both countries.
Pol Gen Torsak said he anticipates seeing solid results in 60 days.
A task force will be set up to spearhead the joint effort, and the next meeting will be held in Cambodia next week, he said.
Senior police officers and representatives from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the Bank of Thailand, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society also attended the meeting.
Deputy police chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet said the meeting followed recent talks between Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his counterpart Hun Manet on joint efforts to suppress call-centre scams and online fraud. He said Mr Srettha had assigned the police chief to seek cooperation from Cambodian authorities in addressing the problem.
Yesterday's meeting focused on sharing information about the activities of call-centre scammers, suspected operation bases in Cambodia and future joint operations, he added.
Pol Gen Kitrat said the Thai side also asked Cambodia to help track down and deport more than 100 Thai nationals wanted for involvement in call-centre gangs who are hiding in Cambodia.
He added that joint working panels will be formed to facilitate the exchange of information and develop coordinated operation plans.
To combat call centre scams, the NBTC has asked people with six SIM cards and more to re-register their cards and verify their identities to control the problem of mule cards. The regulator said last week it had suspended more than three million SIM cards, as the holders had not verified their identities by the deadline.
Police, the NBTC and three mobile phone service providers also recently stepped up efforts to remove illegal telecom signal towers and cables in dozens of locations along the border to disrupt call-centre scam operations.