Police Bust Call-Centre Scam Targeting Japanese Victims

Bangkok — Immigration police raided a luxury mansion in Bangkok's Bang Bon district late Wednesday night and arrested 15 people allegedly operating a call-centre scam targeting Japanese victims.

The raid was led by Pol. Maj. Gen. Phanthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, at 22:00 on 16 September at a mansion in Soi Ekkachai 112, Bang Bon Nuea subdistrict.

Immigration police said the operation followed a tip from a concerned citizen who reported seeing large numbers of foreigners entering and leaving the property under suspicious circumstances. After obtaining a search warrant, officers raided the mansion and found what they identified as a call-centre operation.

Police said the property had allegedly been rented through a Thai nominee on behalf of a Chinese boss for more than a year, with monthly rent reportedly as high as 900,000 baht. A total of 15 suspects were arrested. One was Thai, while the other 14 were foreign nationals from Japan, China, Taiwan and Myanmar.

Investigators said all 15 appeared to be operational-level workers whose main role was making scam calls. The network allegedly focused primarily on Japanese victims. The suspected Chinese boss is believed to still be in Thailand, and authorities are monitoring possible routes that could be used to leave the country illegally.

How the scam worked

Police said the scam was relatively straightforward. Operators would randomly call victims and claim that an illegal package had been intercepted in their name. If a victim believed the story, the caller would transfer them to another line, claiming to be a police officer. The scammers would then allege that suspicious financial transactions had been detected or that the victim was involved in an offence before instructing them to transfer money for an alleged investigation.

During the raid, police took media representatives through the mansion and showed them separate areas apparently used for different stages of the operation. The second floor had been divided into workspaces where operators made scam calls. Japanese-language scripts were posted on the walls for callers to follow. Another room was apparently used for transferring victims to another line. Police found Japanese police uniforms hanging on racks, along with fake logos identifying various police stations in Japan.

Initial evidence seized from the property included computers, mobile phones and money-transfer SIM cards, as well as crystal methamphetamine and drug-use equipment. Immigration officials said they were still cataloguing the seized items and investigating the case.

The 15 suspects were handed over to immigration investigators for consideration of charges. Foreign suspects are also expected to face deportation procedures after the legal process.