Cybercrime police have arrested a 23-year-old Thai man who worked for a Cambodia-based call centre scam gang that duped victims out of about 800 million baht.
The suspect, identified only as Anuwat, told police he had been hired to work as the administrator of a gambling website based in Poipet, Cambodia in 2023. However, when he arrived there, he was assigned to a call centre scam operated by Thai and Chinese gangsters, said Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, head of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau.
Police said the scam took place in three stages. One member would call a prospective victim to gain their trust, then transfer them to a second line where another would act as a police officer to build up credibility, and finally to a third person who advised the victim on how to transfer money.
The suspect said he was responsible for the second line and had used the real name of a sub-inspector from a police station in Mukdahan province.
Anuwat said he earned at least 100,000 baht monthly, from a salary of 50,000 baht and commission of three to five percent for each victim. He worked in the gang for about a year, police said.
He was arrested on Wednesday at the Meng Rai Maharaj military camp in Chiang Rai, where he said he had gone for military conscription, Pol Lt Gen Trairong said.
Police said the gang had bilked 151 people out of at least 800 million baht, with some big cases involving well-known public figures.
The investigation is continuing in hope of making more arrests, police said.
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