A Malaysian man and his Thai wife were arrested in Songkhla for allegedly running investment scams through fake mobile applications, causing 800 million baht in total damage.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on Thursday that Lim Chin, 38, and his wife Saowalak were arrested while crossing the border from Malaysia to the Sadao district of Songkhla.
The arrest at the border checkpoint on Kanchanawanit Road in Sadao followed numerous complaints about investment scams promoted through Facebook posts featuring images of well-known securities gurus. Victims were lured into using fake apps named "Nicshare" and "ComonApps," receiving returns only initially, according to the bureau.
The CIB identified more than 50 victims who reportedly lost a total of about 800 million baht to the scams.
The investment scam gang included other Thais and foreigners, with their financial transactions totalling around 5 billion baht. The CIB sought warrants for the arrest of about 50 suspects connected to the scam network over the past few months.
The bureau reported that the Malaysian suspect was a gang leader, and he and his wife facilitated the setting up of companies to open mule bank accounts, which were sold to parties in Southeast Asian nations.
These mule accounts were linked to call scam centres, online gambling networks and other illicit activities, the CIB said.