Police Dismantle Vietnamese Call Center Gang, Seize Gold and iPhones

Bangkok police have dismantled a Vietnamese call center gang linked to an international money laundering network. Investigators traced financial flows from a drug trafficking case into the cross-border criminal operation and conducted raids that arrested four Vietnamese suspects, seizing gold bars, jewelry, new iPhones, and other valuable assets. The gang operated a systematic money-conversion scheme, turning fraud proceeds into gold and smartphones before transferring them abroad.

During the investigation, officers discovered the gang had divided responsibilities and were staying together at a hotel in the Nawamin area. Police raided the location and arrested three Vietnamese nationals: Hien, 29; Lam, 40; and Nguyen, 33. They face charges including international organized crime fraud and money laundering related to an ice-smuggling case involving packages sent to Japan.

During questioning, suspect Hien admitted she was hired to purchase gold bars and collect mobile phones on orders from a woman named "Hoa" via Telegram, earning 15 US dollars per day. She confessed to making three trips to Thailand for this purpose, with the most recent assignment on July 31 requiring her to buy 17 baht of gold bars using advance wire transfer receipts as proof of purchase before handing the gold to designated contacts in Bangkok.

The case began with victims of a call center scam who were impersonated by gang members posing as telecom employees and police officers from Ranong police station. The scammers claimed the victims' ID card information had been used for money laundering accounts and presented fake court orders, threatening victims to transfer money to "prove their innocence." One victim transferred 200,000 baht into the gang's dummy account before discovering the fraud.