A digital forensics centre will be unveiled this month to support efforts to combat cybercrime, Pol Maj Gen Athip Pongsiwapai, commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), said.
The centre will be equipped with modern technological devices and staffed with tech-savvy personnel to deal with individuals who spread fake news or falsified information on social media platforms, as well as organised crime networks that use technology to defraud people or commit illegal activities, such as stealing company information or personal data, he said.
"The digital forensics centre operating under the TCSD will be launched this month," he said.
"The centre is akin to a Swat [Special Weapons and Tactics] unit. But it is a Swat unit operating online and gathering digital evidence to arrest and prosecute perpetrators," Pol Maj Gen Athip said.
He said the TCSD was the first police agency, set up in 2009, to combat cybercrime.
"Fake news involving political and security issues was rampant on social media between 2011 and 2012. But since 2014-2015, cases involving cybercrime have been increasing," he said.
The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau was established in 2019 to boost efficiency in cyber-crime investigations, he said.
"But the TCSD is responsible mainly for dealing with cybercrime that poses threats to national security as well as cases involving hi-tech crime.
"This job is a tough challenge. We have to deal with criminals who use high technology while educating people about cybercrime threats so they can avoid falling victim.
"Digital upskilling for officers to combat cyber criminals is also a priority," Pol Maj Gen Athip said.
He said the TCSD has cracked down on companies set up by Chinese nationals to operate shady businesses in Thailand, as well as call-centre scammers.
"We not only arrest criminals operating in Thailand but also block them from sneaking into Thailand via natural border crossings," he said, adding that Thais who work with call-centre scammers must also be arrested and dealt with decisively.
In December 2022, TCSD police also cut off cross-border internet cables used to support call-centre scammers in Cambodia, he said.
Police raided facilities in Sa Kaeo province and found numerous cross-border high-speed internet cables erected on power poles and running across the Thai-Cambodian border.
The cables supported internet lines believed to serve gangs that have defrauded many Thai people. Police have found the cables were used to extend internet access to the neighbouring country illegally, he said.
He added that police are also taking aim at payment gateways which support online gambling.
He said that when police arrest cyber crime suspects, their mobile phones and other devices, such as computers and tablets are also confiscated for examination.
The digital forensics centre will play a key role in tracing and examining electronic evidence from seized devices.
"Nowadays, crimes are increasingly shifting online. Police need to find electronic evidence that may be left on mobile phones or other devices, such as money transfers, conversions, chats, and messages posted," Pol Maj Gen Athip said.
"Some data and files may be deleted or changed. But the new centre will have the technology to trace, extract and recover them," he said.
According to the Anti-Online Scam Operation Centre (AOC), a total of 169 suspects have been arrested for alleged involvement in cybercrime since Nov 14 last year.
Each of them is allegedly linked to major organised crime networks, and the number of such cases is expected to continue to increase, according to the AOC.
Pol Col Patphawit Wongpinit, chief of the TCSD's support unit, will be in charge of the digital forensics centre.
He said that cybercrime involves the use of computer networks with data stored in computer devices, while cybercriminals use tactics in a bid to hide or mask their identities and remove traces of themselves online.
"Officers must work fast to respond to them with the aid of modern technology and devices. The centre's personnel must be adequately equipped with skills to handle digital evidence. They will also have to coordinate efforts with other state agencies and the private sector," he said.
"Upskilling personnel in digital technology will be a challenge. Officers must strive to gain knowledge and expand their capabilities constantly to keep pace with cyber criminals," Pol Col Patphawit said.
He also warned about criminals using artificial intelligence to create deepfake images of others without their consent to defraud unsuspecting people online.