NBTC orders telecom providers to block fraudulent IP addresses

"NBTC" orders international telecommunication service providers to verify and suspend the use of fraudulent IP addresses, with administrative action for non-compliance

Trairat Wiriyasirikul, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), revealed that on February 7, 2025, the NBTC sent a letter to all telecommunications service providers requesting them to verify and suspend the use of IP addresses involved in fraudulent activities. 

This is in support of the government's efforts to combat technology-related crimes, which pose a threat to society and national security, and must be strictly enforced.

Commercial banks are required to provide information on IP addresses used by criminals in mobile banking transactions, as well as the IP addresses of servers used by criminals to transfer money through banks, to the police for investigation of the financial transaction paths.

The Central Investigation Bureau and the Technology Crime Suppression Division have provided information on the fraudulent IP addresses to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country, including the IP address, timestamp of data transmission, destination IP address of the server used by the criminals to transfer money via banks, case ID reported by victims to the police, and the URL used by the criminals. This information has been sent to ISPs for further action.Internet service providers are required to temporarily suspend the use of the fraudulent IP addresses to prevent further damage. They must also investigate and compile user data associated with the IP address and submit it to the requesting police authorities within 24 hours.

Trairat stated that in order to intensify the operations, on February 11, 2025, the NBTC sent a letter to all telecommunication service providers, urging them to strictly support the government’s efforts to address technology-related crimes. This is in line with the guidelines and procedures for telecommunication business operations to assist government agencies in protecting consumer rights, ensuring public safety, and maintaining national security. Service providers must take necessary actions in compliance with the National Security Council's resolution and the letter from the Technology Crime Suppression Division. Failure to comply will result in administrative action from the NBTC.

In addition, throughout this week, the NBTC has continuously monitored the mobile phone stations in Sa Kaeo province, inspecting four locations where cross-border signals were detected. At each site, mobile phone signals were cut off, antennas were removed from towers, or the height and signal strength of the towers were adjusted according to the prescribed measures to prevent cross-border signals, which could be exploited by call-centre gangs. While these measures may impact the public’s mobile phone usage, the NBTC has instructed service providers to expedite the installation of small mobile phone stations to resolve the issue.

(2025/02/12-00:00)