BANGKOK — Thai police have arrested bank officials who helped Chinese scammers open 15 mule accounts for criminal activities. Investigators are expanding their probe to identify additional accomplices.
Police General Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Inspector General of the Royal Thai Police and Director of the Technology Crime Suppression Center, held a press conference at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters on May 21 to announce the results of a major operation.
Metropolitan Police and Provincial Police Region 2 jointly arrested four bank employees, including a manager, along with two interpreters and five Thai facilitators who provided support to Chinese suspects, bringing the total to 11 arrests.
Investigators discovered that the 15 mule accounts were opened at a bank in Pattaya, Chonburi Province. These accounts belonged to 15 Chinese nationals who entered Thailand on tourist visas in March 2025, all visiting the country for the first time. Thai accomplices escorted these Chinese nationals to banks around the country to open accounts, beginning on March 9.
The Chinese nationals returned to China on March 13, after bank managers and staff allegedly forged documents to allow account openings with tourist visas. Police declined to reveal the commission received by bank staff, citing ongoing investigation details.
The investigation revealed that the 15 accounts received approximately 118 million baht ($3.6 million), of which 91 million baht has already been withdrawn. The remaining funds have been frozen. These accounts were linked to 106 fraud cases. Further investigation connected them to 462 additional accounts involved in 2,084 cases nationwide, with total damages estimated at 2.2 billion baht ($67.3 million).
Police are currently expanding their investigation in all dimensions, particularly regarding the 15 Chinese nationals who fled the country. Thai authorities have coordinated with Chinese officials to issue arrest warrants after discovering that five suspects have connections to call center scam gangs operating in neighboring countries.
Police has also contacted the Bank of Thailand to conduct a thorough review of procedures allowing foreigners to open bank accounts with tourist visas, noting that such practices are not permitted in other countries worldwide.
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