Three Chinese suspects who were arrested on Sunday in Sa Kaew province, have told police they could provide “likes” and views on social media pages for money.

“Found in their possession were hundreds of iPhones and hundreds of thousand of SIM cards,” Aranyaprathet Police Station’s superintendent Pol Colonel Wassaphan Sirikulkamomcha said on Tuesday.

He said the suspects said they ran their operation in Thailand because China allowed only one SIM card for each ID card.

“They said Internet and SIM cards also cost much more in China,” Wassaphan said.

Wang Dong, 33, Niu Bang, 25, and Ni Wenjin, 32, admitted that their operations were based on WeChat – a popular social media platform among Chinese people, and targeted Chinese products.

The three suspects are now in detention at the Sa Kaew Court, facing charges of working without a permit and possessing smuggled cell phones.

Police said there was no evidence that the gang’s operation involved national security.