Bangkok: Cyber police have dismantled a call center gang that posed as mobile network employees, tricking female students into believing they were involved in a money laundering case. They then demanded money transfers to verify their innocence, but the victims lost over 3.6 million baht. It appears that students are now a new target for call center gangs, replacing the elderly.
According to Thai News Agency, cyber police, armed with search warrants, raided two target locations: a residence in Thepharak Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Prakan District, and two more residences in Bang Ya Phraek Subdistrict, Mueang Samut Sakhon District. They arrested two Vietnamese nationals, a Thai man, and a Thai woman, and seized nine mobile phones, one computer, two passports, and 792,690 baht in cash. The remaining four suspects are currently being pursued.
In August, a female student from a renowned university in Bangkok filed a police report after being contacted by a caller posing as a mobile phone service provider. The caller informed her that someone had used her national ID number to open a phone number used for criminal activity. The call was then transferred to another person who claimed to be a police officer from Loei Province and instructed her to add a friend on Line.
The scheme involved falsely claiming that a money laundering suspect had been arrested and implicated the victim, alleging that the victim had sold their bank account for use in the crime. The perpetrators then implied that the victim would face money laundering charges. To prove their innocence, the scammers used the usual tactic, instructing the victim to transfer over 850,000 baht to the Anti-Money Laundering Office's (AMLO) central bank account.
After the initial transfer, the perpetrator used another ploy, instructing the victim to ask their parents for more money to verify the account with the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). They then suggested a method similar to applying for a scholarship from a university, claiming to know a professor who could write a letter requesting a scholarship for an exchange program in Australia, requiring 2-3 million baht. The victim, believing the perpetrator, transferred another 1.1 million baht. The remaining 1.6 million baht was instructed to be withdrawn as cash from the victim's account at a bank counter and handed over at a nearby location. The total amount the victim paid to the perpetrator was 3,617,000 baht. Upon realizing they had been scammed, the victim filed a complaint with the cyber police.
Investigators traced the criminal gang and discovered it to be a large operation involving Chinese, Vietnamese, and Thai nationals, with a Chinese boss giving the orders and reaping the benefits. Based on the evidence, the Samut Prakan Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for eight members of the network. Four have been arrested, and authorities are actively pursuing the remaining four.
The investigation revealed that a Vietnamese national received cash from the victims and forwarded it to a Chinese boss, while a Thai man acted as a middleman, withdrawing money after it was deposited into his account. The money was then used to purchase various goods, which were then sold to Thai women for cash. Initially, multiple charges have been filed, including: conspiracy to defraud the public by impersonating another person; conspiracy to commit money laundering and the commission of money laundering; and jointly introducing distorted or falsified computer data into a computer system, etc.