Escalating Crackdown on International Call Center Gangs and Human Trafficking, Targeting Tier 1 Status
Thailand's police and government agencies are working with the U.S. to combat international call center gangs and human trafficking, with Thai officials presenting evidence of operations affecting over 10,000 victims across Southeast Asia.
The Royal Thai Police, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and Ministry of Labor have integrated cooperation with the United States to escalate efforts against international call center gangs and human trafficking, aiming for Tier 1 status.
Police General Kittiratsaku Phandpetch, National Police Commissioner, assigned Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Deputy National Police Commissioner and director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Center (ATCC), to lead a high-level delegation including Hattaya Khoosukul, Director-General of the Americas and South Pacific Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Suriya Jindavongsa, Ambassador to Washington, DC, along with representatives from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Labor, and civil society organizations. The delegation traveled to Washington, DC between April 21-25, 2025 to participate in discussions and present Thailand's progress in preventing and suppressing human trafficking, call center gangs, and sexual abuse of children and youth, while strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Elevating Bilateral Cooperation
During this visit, Thai representatives held discussions with senior U.S. government officials and learned about President Donald Trump's policy emphasizing firm suppression of call center gangs due to damages to American citizens exceeding six billion U.S. dollars (approximately 193.935 billion baht) in the past year.
Operations of these call center gangs were found to be scattered across the ASEAN region, particularly in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, where they deceive populations from over 40 countries, including Thai nationals, to force them into labor through international fraud schemes.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. District Attorney for the District of Columbia and head of the Scam Center Strike Force, reporting directly to the U.S. President, praised the operations of the Royal Thai Police under Police General Thatchai's leadership for establishing the IAC Warroom operational center. This center successfully integrates information with financial institutions and mobile network service providers, enabling rapid and efficient account seizure and asset recovery for victims. It also features close cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), resulting in numerous arrests and substantial asset seizures.
Disclosure of Serious Criminal Investigation Data
During the meeting, Police General Thatchai presented in-depth intelligence and investigation data on the dismantling of a large-scale call center gang operation near the Chong border area in Cambodia. The operation involved over 10,000 individuals of diverse nationalities who were defrauded and forced into labor through romance scams and investment fraud schemes.
Additionally, significant evidence of severe human rights violations was discovered, including lists of names and phone numbers of over 10,000 American citizens targeted by the gang, as well as facilities resembling detention rooms, equipment suspected of being used for torture of non-compliant individuals, and medical laboratories and X-ray facilities. These discoveries led to suspicions of illegal organ trafficking on the dark market or unethical experimentation, which the U.S. government takes extremely seriously. Both countries agreed to escalate intelligence and joint investigation cooperation to expand results across regions.
