A Thai man was arrested for laundering money for over 70 call centre gangs. Charged with multiple crimes including public fraud, he operated a Poipet office for a Chinese gang. His actions included setting up mule accounts and converting money to cryptocurrency. The case emphasizes the complexities of transnational criminal operations.
A Thai man has been arrested for laundering money for over 70 call centre criminal gangs, according to the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD). The suspect was taken into custody at his home in Chiang Rai as he tried to evade a nationwide crackdown on these crime syndicates initiated in February. He now faces serious charges including transnational crime, public fraud, and inputting false information into a computer system.
The unnamed man worked in Poipet, Cambodia, for a Chinese gang from November 11, 2022, to February 13, 2025. This operation reportedly amassed around 30 million baht from call centre scams, with the suspect claiming that through his office, they earned 8-12% of the total revenue. To execute these fraudulent operations, 20 Thai mule accounts were established for daily money laundering activities.
The suspect revealed that he fulfilled several roles in the operation: he translated for the Chinese bosses, assisted in opening bank accounts for the mule accounts, scanned account holders for money transfers, and converted cash from the mule accounts into Tether (USDT) cryptocurrency using apps like Binance and Bitkub. Finally, he transferred the digital currency to the Chinese boss’s wallet, who subsequently allocated funds to the respective wallets of various call centre gangs based on their earnings.
The arrest of this Thai individual highlights the serious implications of money laundering in connection with call centre scams. His operations have facilitated extensive fraudulent activities, underscoring a structured approach involving multiple roles and technology. Significant revenue generated through these scams demonstrates the ongoing issue of transnational crime which requires targeted law enforcement actions to combat effectively.
Original Source: www.nationthailand.com
