Fake tower, real scam: Korean man busted in Bangkok SMS sting
A South Korean scammer took mobile fraud to the streets of Bangkok before cyber cops caught him with a fake cell tower in his car.
On Tuesday, August 19, 35 year old Kim Do-yeong was arrested at Pracha Songkroah Intersection in Din Daeng district while driving a Toyota sedan loaded with a false base station (FBS) device. The high-tech kit was used to send spoof SMS messages to nearby mobile phones, posing as banks or government agencies.
The arrest was announced by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) today, August 21. Kim’s operation came to light when AIS telecom engineers detected unusual mobile signals from a rogue cell site moving across the city. They traced the source from Ekkamai to New Phetchaburi Road and Asoke-Din Daeng Road, finally cornering the signal near Victory Monument.
As CCIB officers moved in, their phones were hit with scam texts generated by the device in Kim’s vehicle. Inside the car, police found the FBS equipment actively transmitting signals, connected to a mobile power station and signal amplifier.
An FBS, also known as an IMSI catcher or Stingray, mimics a legitimate mobile tower. It tricks nearby phones into connecting, allowing the user to send fake SMS messages that appear to come from trusted sources.
Kim reportedly confessed to the scheme. He claimed he was hired by an unidentified Chinese man and paid 100,000 won (around 2,700 Thai baht) per day. He said he was instructed to drive around crowded areas in Bangkok and report his location every 30 minutes via Telegram. He admitted to carrying out the scam over three days before his arrest.
Police also discovered chat records on his phone with detailed instructions from the organiser.
Officers believe Kim is linked to the same gang as two Thai suspects arrested earlier this month in similar incidents. One was caught at a petrol station on Sirindhorn Road, and another on Khao San Road. Both admitted they were also paid by a Chinese national.
Kim now faces six criminal charges, including unauthorised telecom use, violating the Computer Crime Act, and joining an unlawful criminal association, The Nation reports.
The CCIB said investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest the Chinese mastermind behind the cross-border fraud network.
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