BANGKOK — Thai police arrested a 45-year-old Chinese man at Don Mueang Airport on 24 July as he tried to fly back to China. His capture is the latest in a series of police actions against large-scale online scams aimed at people in Thailand and China.

Wang Hao was stopped at the departure terminal just before he could board an AirAsia flight to Kunming. An arrest warrant had been out for him since November 2023, issued by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court.

Police say Wang was involved in a well-organized group pretending to be Krungthai Bank staff. The group targeted people through the government’s digital wallet app. The scammers claimed that the government would help users who paid high taxes by giving them 5,000 baht per month for two months.

The group used the LINE messaging app to add their targets as friends, then sent links that tricked victims into installing fake apps on their phones. This method let them move around 1.55 million baht (about $48,000) from victims’ bank accounts.

Wang now faces charges including theft, illegal use of electronic cards, hacking, changing computer data, entering false information, and money laundering. Officers have handed him over to the Technology Crime Investigation Division 2.

Police Take Down Scam Gang Network

Police Step Up Fight Against Online Fraud

Wang’s arrest is part of a broader push by Thai police to stop online scams, especially in areas covered by Provincial Police Region 5. Earlier this month, police in Chiang Mai’s Hang Dong district arrested 14 Chinese suspects at a luxury house.

According to the Khaosod News, their scheme tricked over 100,000 people in China, most aged between 60 and 80, causing losses of $15 million.

In another case, police at Mae Ping Station responded to what looked like an argument at an ATM in a popular Chiang Mai shopping centre. When they arrived, they found over 2.6 million baht (about $80,000) on the floor. Officers arrested one Thai woman and two Chinese men.

Investigators found this group was part of an investment scam led by another Chinese man. The group convinced both Thai and Chinese victims to put money into fake investment offers.

The two Chinese suspects managed teams that withdrew cash and sent it to their boss, while the Thai woman, who needed money to pay off debts, was caught up in her first withdrawal for the group. All three moved over 4.9 million baht (about $151,570) for their network.

Police continue to track down everyone linked to these Chinese scams. Recent arrests show a clear push to stop cross-border fraud groups using Thailand as their base.

In recent years, Thailand has become a hub for Chinese fraudsters operating sophisticated scam networks, particularly in areas like Bangkok and Pattaya. These groups often run call center scams, targeting victims in China and other countries with schemes involving fake investments, romance scams, or impersonation of authorities.

Operating under the guise of legitimate businesses, they exploit Thailand’s relatively lax regulations and proximity to China, using advanced technology and local intermediaries to launder money and evade detection. Thai authorities have intensified crackdowns, with frequent raids uncovering illegal operations, but the issue persists due to the lucrative nature of these scams and challenges in international cooperation.