4 Foreign Nationals Arrested in Bank Mule Account Scam

BANGKOK — On 15 February 2026, Thai cybercrime police arrested four foreign nationals accused of operating mule bank accounts and withdrawing cash in an online scam that defrauded a victim of over 800,000 baht (£18,000). The arrests were ordered by Pol. Maj. Gen. Chananat Sarathwanpaet, commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, who directed officers from Division 3 to conduct the operation. Three Cambodian nationals — Sophorn, 36, Bannarit, 23, and Soran, 37 — were arrested in Bang Pu Mai subdistrict of Samut Prakan province. A fourth suspect, Tat, 29, a Myanmar national, was detained in Bang Phli Yai subdistrict of the same province. The suspects face charges including criminal association, public fraud by impersonation, computer system fraud, and money laundering. The scam began when a victim was tricked into buying a mobile phone via Facebook, and subsequently persuaded to invest in stock trading after being contacted by a fake investigation bureau officer. Police found the funds were channeled through mule bank accounts and withdrawn in cash. Seized items included mobile phones, ATM cards, bank books, and over 300,000 baht in cash. All four suspects admitted to their roles in the scam and were handed over for legal proceedings.