Phone scammers raked in B10m in May, says Surachate

Call centre scam activity has increased this month, deputy tourist police chief Surachate Hakparn has warned.

The scammers are again targeting Thais on a large scale after an earlier crackdown severely restricted their activities, he said.

He said Taiwan is the main base for the gangs as it has many people with technological expertise. Thai and Taiwanese police are working together to try and bust them, he said.

More than 40 Taiwanese scammers, including some leading figures, have been arrested, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said. Efforts are under way to catch others associated with the crime.

Thais were reported to have been hired to open bank accounts for the gangs in Chanthaburi and in northeastern provinces.

They have been identified and the hunt for them is under way, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said, adding the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) will be contacted to seize their assets.

Pol Maj Gen Surachate was speaking at a news conference about how police and banks are cooperating to return money to victims.

The officer said more than 12 million baht has been returned to 82 gang victims so far.

Since Dec 8 last year, 445 cases have been reported causing more than 235 million baht in financial damages.

Since the beginning of this month, up to 20 people have fallen victim to gangs with more than 10 million baht in damage, said deputy Amlo spokesman, Peerapat Ingpongpan.

Meanwhile, Pattaya police yesterday arrested two Nigerian men suspected of involvement in a so-called romance scam. They were identified as Ositadima Ibeh, 28, and Chinedu Calistus Ndubuisi, 30. They were found with 11 credit cards, 20 bank books, as well as documents related to US and Syrian military positions.

The gang members usually pose as wealthy Europeans or Americans and contact victims via Facebook, a police source said. They dupe victims into believing they have sent gifts to them, but then claim the victims need to pay customs duty first before they can receive them.