Thai and Chinese police have arrested nine suspects in a joint operation against an alleged cross-border credit-card fraud network said to have targeted Chinese citizens.
China's Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday, 13 August, that the suspects comprise four Chinese nationals and five Thais. The case has so far been linked to financial losses exceeding 5 million yuan.
Nine arrested in joint raids
Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced the operation, which was carried out by China's Ministry of Public Security and the Royal Thai Police.
Investigators from both countries coordinated the timing of the crackdown, raided several alleged crime locations and made the arrests. Chinese police first identified the suspected transnational network in 2025, then shared case information with Thai authorities and sought their assistance.
Officials described the operation as the first joint Thai-Chinese law-enforcement action in several years to focus specifically on economic crime.
Alleged shop-front card operation
The investigation found that two suspects allegedly planned the scheme together. One is accused of setting up shops in Thailand as fronts for stealing victims' credit-card information.
The other suspect allegedly used the stolen data to produce counterfeit cards, before recruiting others to use them for fraudulent transactions, many in America and to launder the proceeds.
A CIB file image distributed through Chinese media showed a Chinese-language notice offering a 68% discount on credit-card payments for purchases of 300 baht or more.
More cross-border cooperation planned
Chinese and Thai authorities said they will consider establishing a regular cooperation mechanism to tackle cross-border economic crime.
Areas under consideration include intelligence-sharing, exchanges of expertise, joint analysis, tracking suspects and recovering illicit assets. The move could lead to closer coordination in future cases involving fraud networks operating across Thailand's borders.
Picture courtesy of Thaitabloid
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16 August 2026
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