Crime
Malaysian Scam Call Centre Busted in Chiang Mai
Fifteen members of a call centre scam gang are paraded at a media briefing in Chiang Mai on Wednesday (Photo by Cheewin Sattha)
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CHIANG MAI – Fifteen members of a foreign call centre scam gang were paraded before the public at a media briefing in Chiang Mai on Wednesday following a police search of their rented house in the San Sai district of Chiang Mai.
10 Malaysian men, four Malaysian  women  and a Vietnamese woman – have been charged with swindling and working illegally.
They were detained during a police search of a rented house at Kluaymai housing estate in tambon San Sai Noi and taken to a media briefing on Wednesday.
Police seized 18 telephones, four internet phone connections, documents detailing names and phone numbers of victims, and a copy of a house rental contract.
Provincial Police Region 5 commander Thanitsak Theerasawat said the raid followed a complaint that a group of foreigners had rented a house at the housing estate and were acting suspiciously.
Police obtained a court warrant to search the house and discovered it was being used as  call centre to swindle money from people.
Chin Kiat Yong, 30, a Malaysian national, who can speak Thai, confessed to having run the call centre from the house, said Pol Lt Gen Thanitsak.
The gang members had pretended to be Malaysian bank officials and contacted potential victims, Â mostly Malaysian nationals, by phone and lied to them that there was a problem with their credit cards. The swindlers convinced their victims to transfer money to them.
Over the past two weeks, the gang had swindled 500,000 ringgit (about 4.3 million baht) from their victims, the Region 5 police chief said.
Police also found 7 speed pills in Chin Kiat Yong possession. He faces an additional drug charge.
All suspects were handed over to San Sai police station for legal processing.
By Cheewin Sattha – Post Publishing PCL
