2007 Thailand Computer Crime Report

2007 Thailand Computer Crime Report

For the 27th ASEANPOL Conference


Current Situation

Computer crime situation in Thailand compared with the past year has shown an increase in terms of number of cases. New methods of offense which did not happen in the previous years were found. Some of these examples are
­ SIM card fraud – hacking into the cellphone operator’s computer and modifying top-up credits.
­ Cyber-extortion – hacking into and erasing the web hosting provider’s data then extorting money for returning of copy of original data.
­ Making Fraud to online web service through vulnerabilities
­ Credit card identity theft
­ Phishing – some Thai e-banking customers were victimized

Also there has been a steady rise in computer-related crime such as online sale of pornography, online fraud, illegal gambling, defamation and harassment.

There is a growing tendency for both computer and computer-related crime to be more serious and widespread. The computer crime law is being in the Parliamentary process of getting final approval for enactment. Still prosecution of many computer crime cases are complicated particularly those cases where the Royal Thai Police being requested by international cooperation. Because certain offenses in other countries are not crime in Thailand.

It is found that more intrusions originated from foreign countries into Thailand-based computers. Besides, many cheating websites in foreign countries which lure tourists to make online fake reservations for hotels in Thailand. This hotel reservation fraud has damaged to our country’s tourism business and reputation. Both the perpetrators and victims of these offenses live abroad thereby causing troublesome international cooperation.


Our Measures against those problems

Domestic Approach
­ To encourage the public to report illegal websites
­ To cooperate among law enforcement units
­ To promote public awareness and distributing of filter software to control children access to the internet by the Ministry of Culture
­ Blocking of illegal website by the Ministry of ICT
­ To prosecute illegal websites by the Royal Thai Police
­ To train the police on electronic evidence collection and investigation techniques

International Approach
­ To cooperate with G8 , Interpol, CTINS and establish 24/7 point of contact
­ To participate in Aseanapol activities, meeting, training, etc.
­ To assist in solving computer crime cases upon the foreign law enforcement request (both official and nonofficial) as possible
­ Sharing of knowledge and experience with other countries

Statistics of Computer Crime and International Request

At present the Royal Thai Police has no official computer crime information. Information gathering system and criminal data classification are now under planning.

The number of cooperation requests from Asean member countries in 2006 : 1 (from Hong Kong).

There has been many international cooperation requests mostly from U.S. and E.U. countries where web hosting service are available.

Regarding Asean countries cooperation, the Royal Thai Police has assisted a computer crime case from HK. In this case, High-Tech Crime Center (HTCC) - the Royal Thai Police helped investigate the electronic money transfer from the victim’s account in HK to Thailand. With the IP address and bank account number received, we found that it was from the internet café in Bangkok and the owner’s bank account was Indian national. The fraudster was identified thereafter but had been left from Thailand several months earlier. We send those details to HK and not very long after were informed that the criminal was arrested upon his return to HK.

Our vision to cope with those problems

Domestic Approach
­ Regulating all electronic transactions to be traceable or identifiable of its source and destination e.g. prepaid SIM card registration, parcel post sender ID plus CCTV recording , CDROM identity data collecting from duplicator, etc.
­ In order to help law enforcement in investigation, the service providers are forced to have 3 month non-content data retention
­ Making laws to assist law enforcement in fighting against electronic crime
­ Training of police to achieve world class capability in electronic crime investigation techniques
­ Developing a knowledge-base case management

International Approach
­ Making an issue to be solved together among various countries
­ Research of difference in computer crime law of member countries especially those cases where they are illegal in some countries but not illegal in another and setting up the proper cooperation procedures for them. For example, the defamation of Thai dignitaries in the US website is not criminal offense. The applicable law used to remove that content from it had to be copyright law. But there is another US law – title 18 USC section 2703( c ) that makes cooperation possible
­ Developing cooperation framework to be more efficient
­ Requesting technical training from technologically advanced countries

24/7 point of contact

5.1 Pol.Col. Suchart KANGWARNJIT
Deputy Commander, High-Tech Crime Center
Telephone: (662)205-2688 Facsimile: (662) 205-1285
Email: suchart_k@police.go.th
5.2 Pol.Lt.Col. Niwate ARPAWASIN
Deputy Superintendent, High-Tech Crime Center
Telephone: (662)205-1981-2 Facsimile: (662) 251-5417
Email: niwate@police.go.th

Conclusion

To cope with computer crime, international cooperation is highly essential. The framework and guidelines of cooperation shall be developed in order to make quick and efficient procedure.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@