Thirteen foreign nationals accused of running a scam call centre in Thailand that targeted Australians have been remanded in custody after appearing in the Criminal Court in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The suspects — five Australian nationals, six Britons, one Canadian and one South African — face charges of operating an illegal criminal network, working without proper permits, and violating immigration laws.
They were arrested on Tuesday when police raided a luxury house in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan, which served as their base. They are accused of luring 14 Australian nationals to invest in fake bonds, with losses equivalent to about 40 billion baht.
However, Australian Federal Police (AFP), who worked with their Thai counterparts on the investigation, said this was just the tip of the iceberg. The two gang leaders, they say, were responsible for bilking Australians out of billions of dollars over the past two decades.
Investigations began in May last year when the AFP contacted Thai authorities following the collapse of a similar network in Indonesia. Intelligence led to the identification of the two alleged ringleaders — Australian national Mark Dennis, 54, and Briton Mark Howship, 56 — who had relocated to Pattaya before moving to Bangkok.
Pol Col Arun Wachirasrisukanya, head of the arrest team, said the two suspects reassembled the gang at the house in Bang Phli. The gang operated in secrecy, shielding the premises with tarps to avoid surveillance.
Evidence uncovered during the raid included a list of more than 14,000 Australian targets, along with computers and related communication equipment.
Some suspects cooperated with investigators, disclosing that although only 14 individuals had been defrauded so far, the gang had planned to ramp up operations significantly.
The ringleaders allegedly set a goal to defraud Australian citizens of A$54 million (2 billion baht) by the end of this year.
The other 11 suspects arrested were identified as Brett Peter Dawson, 51, Australian; Lewis Samuel Gillespie, 30, British; Nicholas John Mason, 43, Australian; Ellis Ian James, 59, British; Mark Mackenzie, 61, British; Jeremy Fortoen, 44, South African; Christopher Pepena, 48, Australian; Dean Crowley, 42, British; Lewis Robbie, 40, British; Luke Cameron Campbell, 45, Australian; and Szeto Kwok Chi, 58, Canadian.
An officer escorts one of the 13 foreign nationals suspected of running a scam call centre targeting Australian citizens to the Criminal Court in Bangkok on Wednesday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)