Three Thai bank staff arrested for aiding Chinese call-centre scam gang

Three bank employees have been arrested for allegedly assisting a Chinese call-centre scam gang to open bank accounts in Thailand. However, Thai police were unable to detain 15 Chinese suspects who fled the country, reportedly withdrawing around 2.2 billion baht.

Details of the Arrests and Scam Operation

The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) held a press conference on Wednesday to announce the arrest of nine suspects—four Chinese nationals and five Thais—following suspicious money withdrawals by 15 Chinese tourists in March.

Pol Maj Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, TCSD commander, revealed that the 15 Chinese tourists opened 15 bank accounts with help from three bank employees in March. They withdrew 91 million baht in cash from bank counters and ATMs over two days before fleeing Thailand.

Extent of Financial Damage and Fraud Complaints

The TCSD discovered that approximately 118 million baht was credited to the 15 bank accounts. Authorities have received 106 complaints linked to online fraud using these accounts.

Further investigation traced links between the 15 accounts and 462 other mule accounts, connected to 2,084 complaints with reported damages totaling 2.2 billion baht.

Investigation Reveals Local and Chinese Accomplices

The TCSD found that the 15 Chinese tourists were assisted by four Chinese residents in Thailand and five Thai nationals in obtaining bank accounts and SIM cards for use during their stay.

Nine suspects were arrested in April, including three bank staff: Sirilak, Chutima, and Songpol. They face charges for providing information and aiding in the abuse of electronic cards and deposit accounts, involving public deception and money laundering.

Profiles of the Chinese Suspects

The four Chinese suspects arrested are:

• Yang: Arrested by Bueng Kum police on charges of providing mule accounts for the call-centre gang; subject to a Criminal Court arrest warrant.
• Xie: Also arrested by Bueng Kum police under a Criminal Court warrant for providing mule accounts to scammers.
• Hang: Arrested by Prawet police on charges related to overseeing money withdrawals, uploading false computer data, and money laundering.
• Wu: Arrested by Sutthisarn police for providing mule accounts and electronic cards involved in technology crimes.

Additional Thai Suspects Charged

Two other Thai suspects arrested in April are:

• Monthida: Allegedly acted as an interpreter for the Chinese gang, facilitating their use of bank accounts for technology crimes.
• Narongrit: Also served as an interpreter, assisting the gang in their criminal activities.