BANGKOK — Thai authorities have announced charges against 100 Thai nationals for their involvement in transnational call center scams operating from Cambodia. These individuals were among 119 Thais deported from Cambodia on March 1, 2025, following a coordinated operation between the two countries.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Director of the Police Cyber Taskforce and the Anti-Human Trafficking Center, revealed on March 5 that the Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on March 3 for 102 suspects, including 100 Thai nationals and two Chinese ringleaders.
The suspects face multiple serious charges, including participation in a transnational criminal organization, membership in a secret society, conspiracy to commit fraud, defrauding the public, and introducing false data into computer systems. If convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison.
“This is the first time Thai suspects will face severe charges for collaborating with foreign criminals in Cambodia,” said Pol. Gen. Thatchai. “From now on, Thai traitors will no longer be able to exploit the human trafficking victim loophole to evade punishment.”
The operation comes one day after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra visited the Ban Khlong Luek border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province to monitor efforts to cut communication lines used by scammer gangs operating between Thailand and Cambodia.
Investigations revealed that the 100 charged suspects worked at the Phumitasuan Building in Cambodia, linked to various scams including stock trading fraud, romance scams, online gambling, and impersonation of Thai government agencies. The remaining 15 Thai suspects worked at a different location and remain under investigation.
This crackdown is part of the Royal Thai Police’s nationwide operation “Destroying the Scam Bridge,” which targets the three main pillars of call center gangs: telecom networks, bank accounts used for money laundering, and the criminals themselves.
The joint Thai-Cambodian effort reflects enhanced cooperation between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to combat fraudulent activities that have caused extensive financial damage to Thai citizens.
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