BANGKOK, Thailand –– The Chief of the Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwpan, has confirmed that the 25-story building in Poipet, Cambodia, is indeed the operational base for call center gangs, December 25. This confirmation aligns with both investigative data and the confessions of several suspects.
Speaking at the Cybercrime Investigation Bureau on December 25, Gen. Trairong responded to remarks made by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who recently spoke about efforts to eradicate call center gangs. Thaksin had pointed to the 25-story building in Poipet as the center of operations for these criminals.
Gen. Trairong stated that the evidence gathered from investigations and suspect testimonies corroborated this information. The suspects in several cases have admitted that the building is where “money mules” are trained and used to open fraudulent bank accounts. The building is also linked to cases involving more than 125 victims, including beauty queen Charlotte, who were deceived through similar fraudulent schemes.
The cybercrime chief also shared that the information had been forwarded to the Director-General of the East Asia Department in China and relevant representatives in the Greater Mekong Subregion for international cooperation. This collaboration is aimed at tackling the call center gangs, as the operations occur outside Thailand’s borders, requiring cross-country coordination.
On the issue of Chinese suspects who have set up a Simbox-based call center operation in Thailand, Gen. Trairong assured that Thai authorities would investigate whether the seized SIM cards were used in crimes involving Thai victims. If found guilty of defrauding people within Thailand, the suspects would face legal action. However, if the scam targeted foreign nationals outside Thailand, authorities would collaborate with the embassies of the victims’ countries to take further action, as such activities fall under transnational organized crime.
If no concrete evidence is found against the individuals involved in these operations, the authorities will coordinate with immigration officers to expel them from the country.
