Bangkok: Immigration Bureau investigators raided a luxury mansion in Bangkok and arrested 15 suspects involved in a transnational call center scam. According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Maj. Gen. Panthana Nuchanart, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, led officers from the Investigation Division of the Immigration Bureau to the raid late last night. The operation took place at a two-story European-style house located in Soi Ekachai 112, Bang Bon Nuea Subdistrict, Bang Bon District, Bangkok.
The suspects, who are part of an international call center gang, include nationals from Japan, China, Taiwan, and one Thai individual. The upper floor of the mansion was used as a workspace by a Japanese call center gang, found with numerous scripts and equipment related to their fraudulent activities. Among the items discovered were fake Japanese police uniforms, counterfeit identification cards, logo patches, and walkie-talkies, all used to deceive Japanese nationals during video calls. The ground floor featured a karaoke room, a poker table, and drug paraphernalia, including ketamine, along with gambling chips and over 27 mobile phones.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Panthana stated that the raid followed a tip from a concerned citizen who observed unusual activity at the mansion, leading to the issuance of a search warrant. The mansion, rented by a Chinese boss through nominees for over a year at 900,000 baht per month, served as the base of operations for the scam. The 15 suspects, primarily responsible for making fraudulent calls, targeted Japanese nationals, while the mastermind is believed to still be within the country. Authorities are taking measures to prevent his escape.
The scam involved callers falsely informing victims of packages containing illegal items, followed by impersonations of police officers to extract money for verification purposes. The police later showcased the mansion's various operational rooms, including soundproof booths with Japanese scripts and police uniforms with logos from Japanese stations.
The confiscated items include computers, mobile phones, cryptocurrency chips, and methamphetamine. Authorities are currently conducting a thorough examination of the seized equipment. The suspects are in custody as the Immigration Bureau considers charges and potential deportation of the foreign nationals involved.