Surat Thani: Police arrested 54 teenagers, mostly Chinese, for allegedly operating a call centre out of a hotel in Koh Samui.
Police, tipped off by a Chinese national who was lured to work for the gang, raided the hotel and found the youngsters working.
According to police, they had been hired by a gang leader to come to Thailand on a tourist visa and run a scam from the hotel, duping fellow nationals into investing in bogus stocks. The gang had more than 100 chatrooms online through which they talked victims into remitting money online. Those arrested said they were given the target of swindling 5 million baht from each victim, and once the money was transferred they closed the app.
A hunt is on for the gang leader, who is believed to be in Thailand and in possession of the youngsters' passports. The 54 teenagers have been charged with working illegally.