Mother and Son Arrested for Operating Front Company in International Money Laundering Scheme with Over 4 Billion Baht in Circulation
A mother and son were arrested in Surat Thani for operating a shell company that laundered over 4 billion baht through cryptocurrency conversions linked to international romance scams targeting American victims.
On April 24, 2025, police commanders ordered the arrest of 20-year-old Semsak and 51-year-old Prichat, a mother and son, based on arrest warrants from Udon Thani Provincial Court (cases 320 and 325/2568, issued August 19, 2024). They are charged with supporting fraud through deception, entering false data into computer systems with intent to harm others, and allowing unauthorized use of their bank accounts. Officers arrested them at their residence in Khian Sa, Surat Thani, and seized 15 items including phones, bank documents, and a laptop.
The investigation began when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Investigations division uncovered an international "Pig Butchering" online romance scam causing losses to American victims. HSI seized over 100 million USDT (approximately 3.2 billion baht) in digital currency and discovered financial links to individuals in Thailand. The Anti-Cybercrime Center coordinated with Thai police to investigate local networks, eventually identifying the two suspects.
Police found that the defendants operated a shell company ostensibly providing research consulting services, but actually functioned as a money laundering operation for call center gangs. They received digital currency transfers, converted them between different blockchain networks (cross-chain transfers) to obscure financial trails, and charged 100 USDT per conversion for each million USDT transferred. Semsak worked with three other individuals in a organized network with divided responsibilities for customer acquisition, account management, and financial transactions. From January to October 2024, Semsak's digital wallet processed over 4 billion baht in total circulation. The suspects are also linked to over 10 online fraud cases in Thailand involving investment scams, with combined damages exceeding 8 million baht, and were evading arrest warrants from Udon Thani City Police for stock investment fraud.
