DSI commenced Operation Shutdown Backlink, seizing assets of online gambling mule account network in 11 location of 3 provinces for over 20 billion baht in circulating fund

DSI commenced Operation Shutdown Backlink, seizing assets of online gambling mule account network in 11 location of 3 provinces for over 20 billion baht in circulating fund

                On 29 October, 2024, Police Major Yutthana Praedam, Acting Director General of the DSI and Police Captain Piya Rakaskul, Deputy DSI Director-General, assigned Mr. Khemachart Prakaihongmanee, Director of Technology and Cyber Crime Bureau to lead officers of the Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, Bureau of Regional Operations and Bureau of Special Operations to join forces with Police Colonel Nattakrit Promchan, Director of Critical Information Infrastructure Management Office, National Cyber Security Agency, the Central Institute of Forensic Science, the Royal Thai Police’s Immigration Division 3, and the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Police’s Investigation Sub-Division in the search of 11 locations in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, and Chonburi, and seizure of evidence in the special case no. 83/2566.

                This operation originated from the effort of the DSI and National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) in inspecting and probing IT information. They discovered 23 government websites being redirected to multiple online gambling websites by creating back links in the form of folders or files to boost the search engine ranking in Google so that more people accessing government websites would be promptly redirected to online gambling websites. This is the offence of illegally accessing computer system and information to damage, destroy, modify, change or amend a third party's computer data, either in whole or in part, under the Computer Related Crime Act, B.E.2550 (2007) and its amendment and the offence of organizing of, or participating in, or gambling in a game to gamble money or other possessions without license or permission from officials, and organizing a gambling via online media, which is predicate offences under anti money laundering laws. The Director General approved this case to be a special case no. 83/2566 and assigned the Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime to carry out the search of 11 locations in 3 provinces, namely 4 locations in Bangkok, 2 locations in Nakhon Pathom Province, and 5 locations in Chonburi Province. The search resulted in seizure/sequestration of over 100 bank accounts with over 20 billion baht in circulating fund over the period of 1 year, cryptocurrency wallets, computers, digital token wallets, mobile phones, and variety data.

                The DSI warns that some regional government agencies might be compromised by online gambling website’s online traffic redirection. Any agency aware of the abnormality in Google setting of their websites are urged to report such cases to the DSI's Technology and Cyber Crime Bureau via the DSI Hotline 1202 or www.dsi.go.th (https://www.dsi.go.th).