Bangkok Post – Thai call center gangsters arrested in Cambodia

The Royal Thai Police’s Cybercrime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) said on Saturday that twelve suspected fraudsters in Thai call center gangs, including their leader, had been arrested at their base in Cambodia.

CCIB Commissioner Lt. Gen. Worawat Watnakornbancha said the gang was arrested jointly by CCIB Branch 2 and Cambodian police. The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for all 15 members.

In the operation dubbed “Hang Up”, 12 members aged 21-35, including the leader identified as Pathipan or A-Ching, 21, were arrested at a base in O Smach City in Oddar Meanchey Province, near the border with Thailand in Surin province.

Police are still searching for the remaining three gang members who managed to escape from the scene, added Lt. Gen. Worawat.

An investigation was launched after one of the victims reported that he had been defrauded by the gang. The victim reportedly transferred money to the gang multiple times, resulting in a total loss of savings of 2.37 million baht, Lt. Gen. Worawat said.

According to an investigation, the gang earned at least 1 billion baht each year from fraud, and most of their victims were retirees.

As for the tricks, Lt. Gen. Worawat said the gang divided its members into teams in which they played the roles of banker, policeman and advisor.

The first phone call purported to be from a banker in Tak province to notify the victim of money laundering because the victim had an unexplained credit card debt.

If the victim denied the allegations, the scammer told him to contact the police in Tak and provided a line ID number to make contact easier. The fake policeman ordered the victim to donate money for the investigation. If the victim was hesitant, another phone call was made to reassure him of safe transportation.

Cambodian police reported that Thai citizens have submitted a petition to the Embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand in Phnom Penh over being deceived and sucked into fraud, Lt. Gen. Worawat said.

Four of the victims, who worked for the gang, had earlier been rescued from arrest.

All the suspects confessed to the crime, saying they worked under Pathipan’s leadership. The gang leader physically punished them, including giving them electric shocks, if their team failed to earn 20 million baht a week, said Lt. Gen. Worawat.