Chiang mai: Cyber police have arrested two members of the Poipet Company gang for defrauding victims out of more than 300 million baht. The suspects, who impersonated police officials, tricked victims into transferring money by claiming involvement in a criminal investigation. The arrested individuals, Mr. Warames and Mr. Somsak, were apprehended in Chiang Mai and Phuket provinces, respectively, on warrants related to a call center scam.
According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Lt. Gen. Trairong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Technology Crime Investigation Division, stated that the arrests followed a victim’s report of a hybrid scam. The scam involved a perpetrator using an appealing profile picture to gain the victim’s trust, eventually convincing them to invest in cryptocurrency. The victim transferred money 147 times to 79 mule accounts, resulting in a total loss of approximately 308 million baht. The cyber police collected evidence and secured court-issued arrest warrants for 76 suspects, with 46 already in custody.
During the investigation, evidence surfaced linking the gang to a call center operation led by a Chinese individual based in Phuri Casino, Poipet, Cambodia. The operation involved impersonating government officials to coerce victims into transferring money to prove their innocence in a fabricated criminal case. The operation was structured into four roles: initial contact by a first line officer, conversation reinforcement by a second line officer, impersonation of a police colonel by a third line officer, and support roles such as document forgery and mule account management. Warrants have been issued for 44 additional suspects involved in the scheme.
The two arrested suspects admitted to fleeing to Thailand due to border conflicts. They claimed they were deceived into working for the call center gang, where their role was to impersonate a police colonel and instruct victims to transfer money to settle cases. They reported receiving a 3.5 percent commission on the largest transfer of 12 million baht and a monthly salary of 25,000 baht. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the funds linked to the two suspects are connected to the Ghost Release Company gang under scrutiny by the Crime Suppression Division Police.
The suspects face charges of participating in a secret society, gang activity, criminal organization involvement, public deception, identity fraud, computer system information entry, and money laundering.