Three individuals detained for possession of ill-gotten gains from call center fraud scheme
Chiang Mai Police Arrest Members of Chinese Call Center Scam Gang
In a significant development, Thai authorities have arrested three suspects in connection with a cash-withdrawal scheme for a Chinese call center scam gang operating in Chiang Mai. The arrests took place at a shopping mall in central Chiang Mai on Thursday.
The commissioner of Provincial Police Region 5, Pol Lt Gen Kritthapol Yisakhon, led the investigation into the cash withdrawals. The investigation was a joint effort between the Cyber Crime Suppression Centre and regional intelligence units.
Two Chinese nationals, Qin Long (29 years old) and Zhang Luping (30 years old), and a Thai suspect named Sudarat (40 years old) were arrested. Qin Long, Zhang Luping, and Sudarat were wanted under warrants issued by the Chiang Mai Provincial Court.
The group was found to be withdrawing funds from victims deceived via call center scams, fake investment schemes, and fraud. According to the investigation, the mule accounts used for the cash withdrawals were created by the scammers associated with the gang.
Further checks revealed that the funds originated from multiple victims, including one who transferred over 538,000 baht to Ms Sudarat's account. Authorities discovered the group withdrawing large sums of money during their investigation.
During the arrests, police seized over 1.14 million baht in cash, five mobile phones, three bankbooks, and two ATM cards. Sudarat is accused of allowing her bank accounts to be used for similar offences.
Qin Long and Zhang Luping face charges of public fraud, computer crime, and facilitating financial transactions linked to cybercrime. The suspects are associated with a Chinese call center scam gang.
Chinese call center scam gangs operating in Chiang Mai typically conduct fraudulent schemes targeting Chinese victims through calls and online platforms, involving scams like fake product sales, extortion, and money transfer frauds linked to airline or banking issues. The gang members call victims pretending to be officials or sellers and manipulate them into sending money or disclosing sensitive information.
The common types of scams they employ include online product sales scams, false requests for money transfers, extortion and fraud, and the use of “money mule” accounts. The gang recruits locals or coerces people to open bank accounts to receive and withdraw scam proceeds, helping to launder illicit funds.
Authorities have arrested multiple suspects involved in such scams, uncovered cash flows through mule accounts, and intensified crackdowns involving domestic and international cooperation to disrupt these transnational fraud networks.
The Cyber Crime Suppression Centre and regional intelligence units collaborated in investigating the cash withdrawals linked to a Chinese call center scam gang operating in Chiang Mai, emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity measures in technology-based crime-and-justice cases. The group, which was found to be withdrawing funds from victims deceived via call center scams, used the profits to further their activities in the general-news sphere of online crimes.
