CHONBURI — What began as a distress call from a beaten Korean man has led Thai authorities to uncover a major international scamming operation, resulting in the arrest of eight suspects and the discovery of a sophisticated scam call center network.
The case started Wednesday evening when Korean embassy officials alerted Thai police after a Korean man in Pattaya contacted the embassy seeking help, claiming he was being assaulted at a house in Na Jomtien, Chonburi Province.
Tourist police, working with Chonburi immigration officers, mobilized search teams and found Mr. Hyun (pseudonym), 31, at a single-story house in the Na Jomtien area at 11:00 p.m. on August 6. The victim showed visible signs of assault with injuries to his face and head, strangulation marks on his neck, and bruises covering his body.
While Hyun appeared relieved when police rescued him, investigators discovered his name was connected to a group of 22 Koreans arrested on June 21 at a luxury pool villa in Pattaya. That group had been using Thailand as a base for scamming operations and illegal loan sharking.
Network Expands Beyond Initial Rescue
Following Hyun’s interrogation, police expanded their investigation to residences in Bang Lamung district. At the first house, they found two Korean men, one Chinese man, and one Korean woman. The second house yielded four Korean men. All suspects confirmed their network operated a scamming base in the Huay Yai area of Bang Lamung district.
Officers then raided the primary operation site—a two-story commercial building that had been divided into 10 glass-partitioned rooms, each equipped with computers, mobile phones, and related equipment.
Suspects revealed this served as the network’s first station, featuring two medium-sized rooms used to deceive victims by impersonating government officials, and one large room serving as the command center for supervisors.
Sophisticated Operation Partially Dismantled
Inside the building, investigators found evidence that the operation had been hastily dismantled, with some equipment already removed and accomplices likely having fled beforehand. Police were able to seize 17 laptops and desktop computers, 15 mobile phones, and internet router boxes. Huay Yai police station officers joined the investigation to assist with evidence processing.
The raids resulted in the arrest of eight individuals: seven Koreans (six men aged 21-35 and one woman aged 25) and one Chinese man aged 23. All suspects admitted to working as scammers during questioning.
The arrested individuals have been transferred to Chonburi Immigration for visa revocation proceedings before being sent to Huay Yai Police Station for further investigation and prosecution, along with all seized evidence.
The discovery highlights the growing problem of international criminal networks using Thailand as a base for transnational fraud operations targeting victims across multiple countries.
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