Thailand Border Telecom Seizure Underscores Scam Concerns

Thailand Border Telecom Seizure Underscores Scam Concerns

BANGKOK, Feb 26, 2026 — Thai authorities have dismantled an unlicensed mobile phone base station in Kanchanaburi province that was allegedly transmitting signals across the border into Myanmar, in a move officials say is part of broader efforts to combat cross-border scam networks.

Security and telecommunications officials said the equipment had been installed without authorization from Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC).

The station was found transmitting toward Myanmar, where large-scale online scam operations have proliferated in border areas in recent years, drawing regional and international concern.

Authorities seized four antenna towers, six remote radio units, three lithium-ion batteries, three power distribution units and related signal cables. The equipment has been handed over to police for forensic examination and legal proceedings.

Thailand has intensified scrutiny of telecommunications infrastructure along its western border amid concerns that illicit signal relays may facilitate online fraud operations targeting victims abroad.

The Thailand–Myanmar frontier has become a focal point in regional efforts to dismantle scam centers, which often rely on cross-border internet and mobile connectivity to operate.

Officials did not immediately disclose who was responsible for installing the base station or whether it was directly linked to criminal groups.

Investigations are ongoing.