BANGKOK — Thai immigration authorities have arrested six Chinese nationals, including the alleged ringleader, who were operating a sophisticated scam network from multiple units in a luxury condominium on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district.
Led by Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center, the raid uncovered an extensive operation spanning three floors of the upscale residential complex.
The suspects had transformed their living spaces into a high-tech fraud center, utilizing artificial intelligence to rapidly create social media accounts and operating equipment capable of making up to 600,000 scam calls per hour.
During the searches of six condominium units on the 16th, 17th, and 23rd floors, authorities seized a substantial cache of equipment, including: 286 SIM boxes, over 208,000 SIM cards, 636 mobile phones, 62 computer monitors, 84 CPUs, and 4 laptops.
The suspects, who entered Thailand on student and tourist visas within the past four months, were reportedly managing the technical infrastructure for a larger operation. Investigation revealed that the actual scam calls were being conducted from overseas through remote connections to the Bangkok-based equipment.
Among those arrested were Wen Fengran, Zhang Jun, Li Yuning, Pang Ze, Yang Qun, and the alleged leader, Yao Fan. One suspect confessed to receiving 8,000 yuan monthly for maintaining the SIM card operations under the direction of a superior identified only as “Zhun Ge.”
Police have identified three additional suspects who are currently at large. Authorities have issued warrants and placed them on a watch list to prevent their escape through border checkpoints.
The suspects face multiple charges, including unauthorized possession and operation of telecommunications equipment, inputting false information into computer systems, concealing criminal proceeds, and working in Thailand without proper permits. Immigration authorities are preparing to deport the suspects after legal proceedings are completed.
Prior to their operation in Thailand, the group had reportedly been active in neighboring Laos and Cambodia, consistent with patterns observed in other call center scam networks in the region. The case has been transferred to cybercrime investigators for further investigation.
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