METROPOLITAN Police rounded up three Chinese nationals who are members of a transnational call centre gang on charges of defrauding a 65-year-old Thai woman out of over 34 million baht then demanding more, PPTVHD36 said today (April 18).
At around 5.40 p.m. yesterday a police team from Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Investigation Division 3 together with units from Thung Maha Mek and Don Mueang police stations arrested one of the three suspects, Mr. Yan (pseudonym), 43, Mr. Guo Zhong (pseudonym), 40, and Mr. Jin Mei (pseudonym), 47, near the entrance of Soi Suan Plu, Thung Maha Mek subdistrict, Sathorn district.
Further investigations led to the arrest of two accomplices at a hotel on Song Prapha road, Si Kan subdistrict, Don Mueang district.
They were initially charged with “Conspiracy to defraud the public, organised crime, and money laundering.”
This operation was launched after the victim filed a complaint at Thung Maha Mek police station after being scammed by this call centre gang. They duped her by claiming her national ID card had been used to open a phone number linked to a drug trafficking network and threatened her, demanding she contact government agencies.
They then instructed her to add a LINE account and sent fake official identification cards and documents to build credibility. Fearful and having been taken in by the scammers, the victim transferred money multiple times, even delivering cash at various locations. In total she lost as much as 34,721,484.48 baht.
However, the scammers did not stop there and contacted her again, demanding that she give an additional 5 million baht in cash. Finally suspicious, she sought help from the police.
A sting operation ensued, with the victim told to pretend to deliver the money as arranged. The police team monitored the situation. At the appointed time, one of the suspects arrived to collect the bag of cash and upon taking it, policemen apprehended him.
Fast follow-up investigation led to the arrest of two more accomplices residing in Don Mueang area. Authorities seized cash and several mobile phones used in the crime as evidence.
Investigation revealed that all suspects were part of a transnational call centre gang with a well-organised division of labour, including those responsible for fraud, receiving payments, and managing assets. The money obtained was converted to other currencies or cryptocurrencies to conceal the source.
Initially, the suspects and seized items were handed over to investigators at Thung Maha Mek police station for legal proceedings. Authorities are also working to expand the investigation to track down other members of the gang, believing that this is a large network.
Police warned the public to be wary of similar scams, especially those involving impersonation of government officials. They emphasised that no government agency requests the transfer of money or the handover of cash for verification. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the authorities immediately.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page – One of a trio of Chinese scammers arrested in Sathorn last evening, April 17, 2026. Photo – PPTVHD36
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