CHIANG MAI – On Friday, CIB police arrested two Chinese men and a Thai woman linked to a call centre scam, with over 2.6 million baht in cash at a popular mall in Chiang Mai.
The group was found to be operating out of Cambodia and used mule accounts to collect and move money from victims. A disagreement over payment led to threats among the group, which prompted a tip-off to police.
At Mae Ping police station, Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchai Pongwiwatchai, Deputy Commander of Region 5 Police, shared details on the case. The investigation revealed that the suspects tricked people and used other people’s bank accounts to receive and withdraw stolen money.
Chiang Mai CIB police arrested the three suspects: Ms. Anukul Inthaphon was caught at the Mae Ping Police station, Mr. Men Xin (Chinese national) at a hotel in the Phra Singh area, and Mr. Zhang Mao Ning (also Chinese) at another hotel in Lamphun.
The arrest followed an incident on July 16, when two Chinese men were reported threatening a Thai woman at Central Festival Chiang Mai. Officers found she was paid to open a bank account for the group and withdraw money as ordered.
A dispute broke out over how to split the payment. Police found over 2,680,000 baht in cash. The account had been used to scam at least seven people, with losses topping two million baht. Police collected evidence and quickly secured arrest warrants.
One of the Chinese suspects admitted he had come to Thailand from Cambodia on his boss’s orders to oversee cash withdrawals. They would arrange meetings with the account owner, wait outside the bank, and then withdraw the funds as soon as the victims transferred money.
The cash would then be handed off to other members before being deposited elsewhere. The group had operated in both Chiang Mai and Pattaya, with Region 2 police also tracking their activity.
Investigations showed the Chinese suspect entered Thailand on April 15, went to Pattaya, then returned to Chiang Mai for about two weeks. The Thai woman said it was her first time helping with such a scam.
She used her regular bank account, joined the group through a friend, and was paid 10,000 baht plus allowed to keep using her account, though all cash had to be handed over. Under Thai law, penalties for this crime can reach up to 30 years, as five victims lost a total of over six million baht in one day through her account.
Police explained that scams like this need three parts: the scammers, the mule accounts, and the victims. Without any of these, the fraud can’t happen. Tracking the money is difficult because the cash is withdrawn and transferred quickly to other networks.
Police urge people to stay alert and never send money to strangers, whether for online investments, shopping or romance, as many scams are run by large, organized crime groups.
