Phuket Police Arrest 17 in Transnational Call Center Scam
Phuket police arrested 17 members of a transnational call center scam gang that operated from Laos, posing as police and telecom officials to extort money from victims via video calls. The suspects wore fake police uniforms and sent forged documents to intimidate targets into transferring funds to mule accounts. The operation involved cooperation with Lao authorities who initially detained 24 people before deporting them to Thailand for prosecution.
The Anti-Online Scam Operation Center (ACSC) under the Royal Thai Police, led by Pol. Lt. Gen. Itthiphol Atchariyapradit, Deputy Commissioner-General as Center Director, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Jirapob Phuridet, Assistant Commissioner-General as Deputy Director, together with Pol. Col. Natthasak Chaowanasai, Pol. Maj. Gen. Thinnakorn Rangmat, Pol. Col. Witya Siprasertphap, and related officers, announced the 'Surachip Hak Kho' operation to dismantle a transnational cybercrime gang, arresting 17 suspects with arrest warrants.
Pol. Col. Chawinron Phimratchathammarong, Commander of Sub-Division 4, Crime Suppression Division, stated that cooperation was received from Lao police in Bo Kaeo District, Lao PDR. The ACSC tasked the Crime Suppression Division to receive and screen 23 Thais and 1 non-Thai arrested by Lao authorities in a call center scam case, along with evidence including four khaki shirts resembling police uniforms, one DIODIY desktop computer, five iPads, five mobile phones, and scam script notes. They were deported to Thailand on June 30, 2026.
Police screened all 24 individuals, finding they were not human trafficking victims but likely participants in the transnational scam operation. Examination of seized electronic devices revealed Line and WhatsApp chat groups containing instructions, scam scripts, victim lists, and forged official documents. Police gathered evidence and obtained court approval for 32 arrest warrants, apprehending 17 suspects so far.
Charges include attempted fraud by impersonation, forging and using forged official documents, inputting false data into computer systems, and participation in a transnational criminal organization. Suspects are in custody at Sub-Division 4 for further legal proceedings.
Investigation found that from May to June 17, 2026, the suspects operated a call center from abroad with divided roles: financiers who recruited staff, secured locations and equipment, and transferred funds through Thai bank accounts; Tier 1 staff posing as communications company employees who called victims claiming their phone numbers were linked to crimes before transferring them to Tier 2; and Tier 2 staff posing as Phuket City Police officers who threatened victims with criminal involvement and demanded money transfers to prepared mule accounts. During video calls, suspects wore shirts resembling police uniforms, claimed to be senior officers, discussed victims' incomes, and sent fake bankbooks and forged Phuket Provincial Court orders to intimidate compliance.
