PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, Aug 26 – Thailand’s immigration police on Friday arrested 14 suspected members of a transnational call centre banking scam in the seaside town of Hua Hin, allegedly luring victims to transfer money to the gang’s bank account.
The detainees including 10 Taiwanese nationals, two Chinese nationals, one Myanmar national and one Thai woman were apprehended at a home office in Hua Hin, according to immigration police led by Pol Col Atiswit Kamonrat, superintendent of the Immigration Bureau investigation division.
Inspecting the residential office, police found 14 telephones connecting to the Internet, six laptop computers and a tiny closed-circuit television (CCTV) for monitoring situation outside the
house.
Col Atiswit said that the gang leader was identified as Taiwan national known as Mr Zhou, who used a tourist visa to enter the kingdom in June.
The gang leader said that he has worked in Hua Hin for about one month. He rented the house and hired Taiwan and Chinese nationals to make phone calls from Thailand to deceive residents in China and in Taiwan to transfer money to the gang’s account.
The staff members received salaries plus commission from the transferred money.
According to police, Mr Zhou sets a target to lure the victims to transfer at least Bt500,000 (over US$16,600) a month. However, he did not reveal details or how much money the gang had received from the victims
