BANGKOK – A Criminal Court has handed prison sentences of up to 24 years to 70 scam gang operators involved in a large-scale call-centre scam. The group, which included 52 Chinese and 18 Thai nationals.
This marks the biggest crackdown on a scam network Thailand has ever seen. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) led the case, revealing an organised criminal operation based in a four-storey building in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Victims from several countries lost money, showing how these scams continue to affect Southeast Asia.
The court found all 70 defendants guilty of fraud, transnational organised crime, and money laundering. The leaders received the maximum sentence of 24 years in jail. Two companies tied to the operation were fined 88,000 baht each.
The court also ordered the group to pay more than 2.41 million baht in damages to two Japanese victims (about ¥10,670,000 and ¥450,000). This decision sets an example in Thailand for dealing with organised, international scams. The court also ordered the seizure of assets taken during the police operation.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, head of the Central Investigation Bureau, called this a big win for Thai law enforcement. He said the outcome should warn other criminal groups that Thailand will take firm action against fraud. The Cybercrime Investigation Division 5 managed the investigation, which showed the challenges in prosecuting international scams involving several nationalities.
How the Operation Unfolded
The investigation began in November 2023 when the DSI found evidence of a scam ring. The group posed as government officials and bank staff, tricking people into transferring money. In March 2024, Thai police raided the building in Nakhon Si Thammarat and arrested 71 suspects (52 Chinese, 19 Thai). One person escaped, but the remaining 70 stood trial.
During the raid, police seized 223 computers, 1,001 mobile phones, 14 iPads, 298 SIM cards, 86 bank accounts, and a stash of smuggled goods. Investigators discovered the gang used chat systems in several languages—Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Thai—to target victims abroad. Chinese suspects’ passports revealed frequent trips to Cambodia, with some overstaying their visas, pointing to a wider regional network.
Security guards at the building were unaware of the criminal activity happening above them, according to the DSI. The raid disrupted what Thai authorities call the country’s largest call-centre scam group yet.
Scam Gangs Still a Big Problem
These convictions come as scam gangs remain a growing problem in Thailand and neighbouring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia. Weak border controls and poor oversight have allowed these groups to thrive. According to the Royal Thai Police, from 2022 to 2024, Thais lost around 80 billion baht (about $2.37 billion) to phone and online scams.
The 2023 Asia Scam Report found that 88% of Thai respondents received scam calls or messages every week.
Many of these scams come from Chinese-run groups with help from locals. They use methods like “pig butchering”, romance scams, fake investments, and pretending to be officials. The popularity of online banking, cryptocurrency, and social media ads has made it easier for scammers to reach victims.
In 2024 alone, Thai police reported that 32 million baht was stolen from Australians, and Americans lost an estimated $3.5 billion to scams, highlighting the global scale of the problem.
Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, who leads the Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, explained that these networks shift operations across borders to dodge police. Many scam centres run from Cambodia and Myanmar, making it hard to arrest the main organisers. In a recent raid in Poipet, Cambodia, authorities arrested 100 Thais working at a scam centre, although two Chinese leaders are still wanted.
International Cooperation Needed
This case has highlighted the need for stronger international partnerships. Thai officials are working with Cambodia, China, and Myanmar to take down these networks. In 2024, China sent thousands of its citizens home from scam compounds in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region. However, experts say weak border controls and corruption keep allowing these scams to continue.
Police General Pitaneelaboot urged big tech firms like Meta and Google to do more to block scam ads on their platforms, pointing out that scam profits can rival those from the drug trade.
The kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in January 2025 brought more attention to the issue. He was trafficked through Thailand to a scam centre in Myanmar. Social media campaigns helped rescue him, prompting Thai authorities to tighten border controls and propose building a wall along parts of the Cambodian border.
Thailand’s sentencing of these 70 scam operators sends a strong signal, but the threat from scam gangs remains. Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop stressed the need for international teamwork to fight these criminal groups. As scam operations grow and use new technology, authorities face a tough challenge to stop them and protect potential victims.
For now, the Thung Song Provincial Court’s decision stands as a sign of Thailand’s commitment, even as scam gangs continue to threaten the region’s safety and economy.
Sources: Bangkok Post, DSI
