Singaporean Hacking Suspect Arrested in Bangkok
A shocking arrest has been made in Bangkok, Thailand, as authorities have apprehended a 39-year-old Singaporean man suspected of being behind dozens of high-profile hacking cases in Thailand and other countries.
The investigation began after a company informed Thai police that it had received a threatening message from an X account, known as 0mid16B Group, demanding a hefty sum of money in exchange for keeping customers' personal data private. If the demands weren't met, the hackers threatened to reveal sensitive information that could cause significant damage to the business.
Thai police were able to track down the source of the X account and discovered that it belonged to none other than Desorden GhostR, a notorious hacker with a long history of causing data breaches in many countries since 2020. The authorities reached out to their Singaporean counterparts, and after some digging, they found that the suspect was living in a house in Ramkhamhaeng district of Bangkok.
Police stormed the suspect's residence and made the arrest, seizing a luxury car, branded bags, and electronic devices used for hacking, all worth over 10 million baht. The suspect, identified only as Chingwei, has been charged with some serious crimes, according to police, who revealed that he had hacked into the database systems of 20 companies in Thailand and over 50 in other countries.
One notable case in Thailand involved the popular Black Canyon restaurant chain in 2024. When questioned about his activities, Chingwei admitted to being behind the hacking incident, revealing that he earned money by selling stolen data on an online platform on the dark web, where transactions take place using cryptocurrency. The minimum price for this illicit data was a staggering $10,000.
The Thai authorities have taken a significant step in combating cybercrime and protecting citizens' sensitive information. As law enforcement agencies worldwide continue to crack down on hackers, it's clear that no one is above the law – not even those operating from behind the screens of their keyboards.