Bangkok: 191 raided the nest of an international ‘call center gang’, arresting 27 Vietnamese, who set up a base in a luxury village in the suburbs, causing 39 million baht in damages.
According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Pol. Maj. Gen. Worawit Yanachinda, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, Pol. Col. Wasan Thawatchaiwirut, chief of the Patrol Division, and Pol. Lt. Col. Paiboon Soso, deputy chief of the Patrol Division, led a police force of 191 to raid the nest of a Vietnamese call center gang with 27 members and a large amount of evidence. They set up a base to deceive people into believing that they were a call center gang in Thailand, causing 39 million baht in damages.
Pol. Col. Noppasin stated that the 191 police received a complaint from the public about a large group of foreigners gathering. The 191 patrol police investigated and found that the foreigners had rented two houses in a luxury village on the outskirts of the city and were behaving suspiciously, prompting a request for a search warrant. In the first house, 18 foreigners were found, and in the second house, another 9, comprising 5 women and 22 men, for a total of 27 people, along with evidence of 116 mobile phones, 45 computers, and 5 grams of ketamine.
The Vietnamese group traveled from Hanoi, Vietnam, entering Thailand in October 2024 using a tourist visa, which allows a stay in the Kingdom of Thailand for only 60 days. Most entered through the Khlong Luek checkpoint in Sa Kaeo Province before forming a call center gang in Thailand.
The scam mirrored the Romance Scam call center gang, targeting Vietnamese victims. They created profiles using attractive pictures, portraying wealth and stable jobs to gain the victims’ trust. They used sweet words to persuade victims to fall in love, eventually tricking them into transferring money for various fabricated reasons like debts. The ‘Zalo’ application, a popular chat platform in Vietnam, was used to deceive victims.
The investigation revealed that each computer was operated by a suspect, with 27 computers in total. From March onwards, each computer deceived approximately 1,200 million dong per month, totaling 36,000 million dong across all computers, equating to 39 million Thai baht in damages.
The suspects confessed to renting the houses since October 10th, with monthly rents ranging from 30,000 to 40,000 baht. Workers started in February, earning 12,000 baht monthly, with an additional 25,000 baht for successful scams. Roles were divided among suspects, including chefs, electricians, and computer repairmen who addressed any technical issues.
The police coordinated with the Forensic Science Division and the Technology Crime Suppression Center, led by Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabut, Inspector-General of the Royal Thai Police. The suspects, along with all evidence, were taken to Lam Phak Chi Police Station for legal proceedings.