Thai police have dismantled a sophisticated call centre gang, run by 27 Vietnamese nationals, who were operating out of luxury villas on the outskirts of Bangkok. The gang’s elaborate romance scam targeted victims across Thailand, defrauding them of tens of millions of baht.
Led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Paiboon Sorso, Deputy Superintendent of the Patrol Division, a team of 191 officers raided the illegal operation, apprehending the criminals and seizing a significant haul of evidence. This included 116 mobile phones, 45 computers, and 5 grammes of ketamine.
The bust followed a public tip-off regarding suspicious activities by foreign nationals in an upscale area. Police found that the suspects had rented two properties in the city’s suburbs, where they operated under the guise of a legitimate business. The gang, which included five women and 22 men, had entered Thailand in October last year on tourist visas, with plans to set up the scam.
“Upon our investigation, we discovered the operation was designed to target other Vietnamese nationals through an elaborate romance scam,” said Police Major General Noppasil Poonsawas, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
The scammers created fake profiles on the Vietnamese chat app “Zalo,” posing as wealthy professionals or property investors. They would establish online relationships with victims before convincing them to send money for fabricated reasons, such as supposed debts or personal hardships.
The scale of the fraud was staggering. Investigations into the seized computers revealed that each of the 27 workstations could generate up to 1.2 billion Vietnamese Dong per month, amounting to 36 billion Vietnamese Dong (around 39 million baht) in monthly damages. The scammers operated with a clear division of labour, employing various roles such as cooks, electricians, and computer technicians to keep the operation running smoothly.
The workers, hired in February, were paid a base salary of 12,000 baht per month, with additional incentives of 25,000 baht for each successful scam. Their operations took place in rented villas, with each property costing between 30,000 and 40,000 baht per month, reported The Nation.
The Royal Thai Police, led by Commissioner-General Police General Kitrat Panphet, have vowed to intensify efforts against call centre gangs and mule accounts that prey on unsuspecting victims. All suspects and evidence have been handed over to Lam Phak Chi Police Station for legal action, with further investigations ongoing.
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