Police in Bangkok have arrested two Chinese nationals who are believed to be senior members of a call centre gang that operated a new and sophisticated "add insult to injury" scam.
The perpetrators convinced their victims that their money had been stolen, but it could be recovered if they shared their financial details.
The two suspects, identified as Yi Wanyou, 29, and Li Weijia, 30, were arrested at a house in Chatuchak district under warrants issued by the Criminal Court on Tuesday, national police chief Kittharath Punpetch said on Thursday.
Officers also seized more than 400,000 baht in cash, 4 million baht worth of luxury items, a Mercedes-Benz car and five mobile phones. Investigators found information on the call centre scams saved in the phones.
According to Pol Gen Kittharath, the gang used an "add insult to injury" tactic to attract and then deceive victims.
The investigation showed that the gang created fake Facebook pages for the Royal Thai Police, various police divisions and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo).
It bought followers to build credibility for the sites and then purchased ads on social media, promising to be able to track confiscated assets.
People who responded to the ads were directed to a Line group. There, they were put in touch with suspects claiming to be lawyers and technology experts, who created convincing financial transaction charts showing that their money had been transferred to gambling websites.
At that point, the scammers offered to help the victims get their money back, which was when the real fraud began.
Police arrest two allegedly senior Chinese members of a call centre gang at a house in Chatuchak district of Bangkok on Thursday. Acting on court-approved warrants, the police also seized evidence worth 15 million baht. (Photo: Royal Thai Police)
Pol Gen Kittharath said the tactic has become more popular not only in Thailand but also in neighbouring countries.
One of the gang's victims made a complaint to Huai Khwang Police Station, leading to the arrest of Mr Yi and Mr Li.
Both have been charged initially with illegally providing bank accounts and phone numbers for sale. They denied the charge, said Pol Gen Kittharath.
Meanwhile, cybercrime police have arrested a 23-year-old Thai man who worked for a Cambodia-based call centre scam gang that duped 151 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 (CCIB).
Police said the scam had 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 how to transfer money.
Mr Anuwat handled the second line and earned at least 100,000 baht monthly.
