The modern times where people came to depend to some extent to technology gave rise to a large array of money-grabbing opportunities. Some of them might be extreme such as ransomware. However, others might activate in a more discreet way such as a clickfarm operation. This kind of activity beats the system at its own game. A recent police raid in Thailand tracked down such a dubious business involving bots that increase a party’s online influence through automatic activity.
Three Chinese Men Maintained a Clickfarm Operation with 474 iPhones and 347,200 Unused SIM Cards
On Sunday, a Thai troop of police officers and soldiers broke into a rented apartment near the Cambodian border. They intercepted a reportedly clickfarm organization. There were three Chinese persons who were running this illegal activity.
Wang Dong, Niu Bang, and Ni Wenjin started off their shadow business with hundreds of 5S, 5C, and 4S iPhones. The main interest in these gadgets was their cards which they operated through computer monitors. Police confiscated a total of 474 iPhones, ten computers, and 347,200 unused SIM cards. These cards were the property of some mobile phone operators in Thailand.
They Were Hired by an Unknown Company to Promote their Products on WeChat
At first, authorities believed that the suspects were supporting an illegal call center. However, the three Chinese confessed eventually that they received handsome payments for their bot accounts network on WeChat. This platform is the largest social media website in China. They refused to name the company that paid for their services.
On the other hand, the trio gave further precious details about their clickfarm operation. They received around $4,403 per month for their services. In exchange, they had to increase engagement for products that were listed on the online social media network. The business headquarters opened up in Thailand for the sole purpose of enjoying its cheap fees for smartphone usage.
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