Call center crackdown continues - Malaysian arrested with 63 Thai bankbooks at Bangkok hotel

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Call center crackdown continues - Malaysian arrested with 63 Thai bankbooks at Bangkok hotel

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The ongoing crackdown on the operations of foreign call center gangs continued unabated this week.

 

Late last night the man tasked with rooting out the criminals - deputy tourism commissioner Surachet Hakpal - was pictured in a Huay Kwang hotel room where the cops had arrested a Malaysian national.

 

Forty one year old Lai Ken Foei was found in possession of credit cards, phones, paying in slips, sim cards and 63 bankbooks in the name of Thai people.

 

Surachet said that the arrest was part of a continuing case that started in Thong Lor and Samut Prakarn. Victims were foreigners but arrest warrants would be sought for the Thai people who had benefited financially by opening accounts for the gang.

 

The latest suspect arrived in Thailand in November and was due to leave on January 9th - his role was in the transfer of funds, added Surachet.

 

Earlier in the day Bang Kaew police including Surachet announced the arrest of seven criminals operating to the east of Bangkok.

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

They were also running a call center scame.

 

The arrests followed information from a 62 year old woman who said that she had been conned into believing that she was implicated in a money laundering scheme.

 

She transferred ten payments of 500,000 baht each to ten separate accounts at a bank in Mega Bangna shopping center.

 

Her losses totaled ten million baht.

 

There were nine other victims of the gang known to police, reported Manager.

 

Sources: Thai Rath, Manager Online

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-01-05

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Five Malaysians arrested at Bangkok hotel over call-centre scam

By The Nation

 

 

Police arrested five Malaysian men at a Bangkok hotel early Friday and charged them with being members of a call-centre scam gang.

Tourist Police deputy commissioner Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal led tourist police and Huay Kwang police to make the arrest at the Ambience Suite Hotel on Soi Sukhumvit 33 in Bangkok’s Vadhana district.

 

The five were identified as Cheng Koon, 30, Libet Kading, 44, Alkat Anak Jawang, 35, Cyrill Aquinas Anak Tinggie, 21, and Bubby Anak Briyin, 21.

 

Police seized several passbooks, credit cards, mobile phones and transaction slips from them.

 

Surachet said they had previously arrested another Malaysian man, from whom they obtained information that led police to the five suspects.

 

He said the five were found to frequently enter Thailand. The investigation has centred on Tan for allegedly gathering money transferred from victims to several bank accounts opened under the name of Thais and then remitted out of the kingdom.

 

The transaction showed he had just wired Bt1.2 million out of the country, Surachet added.

 

He said Thais who were hired to open bank accounts for them have closed some accounts. Police will check the accounts that remain active to try to net the remaining scammers, Surachet added.

 

He added that the district office woulld take action against the hotel for operating without a licence and for building an extension on the building without legal permits.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30335449

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-05

 

[Moti24]

"She transferred ten payments of 500,000 baht each to ten separate accounts at a bank in Mega Bangna shopping center.

 

Her losses totaled ten million baht."

 

Five hundred thousand times 10 was 5 million when I went to school.  How did she manage to lose the other 5 mil!  A bit much to squeeze into a brown envelope.

 

I don't think she better hold her breath for the mathematician of the year award.  Of course, it may be just another insurance scam.

 

 

[saakura]

The arrests followed information from a 62 year old woman who said that she had been conned into believing that she was implicated in a money laundering scheme

 

"She transferred ten payments of 500,000 baht each to ten separate accounts at a bank in Mega Bangna shopping center"

 

If all her dealings and income were legitimate, why would she get scared of some Malaysians cold calling her? All it warranted was to tell them to F.O. and bang the phone down. And she continued to make 10 transfers of 500000 baht each !! Something is fishy and the old lady should be investigated.

 

 

[gk10002000]

Odd that people were really worried about being prosecuted or implicated in these things, so they then willingly sent money to the extortionists.  Why did these people really worry about being accused?  Are they just really the nervous types, or did they have some dirty laundry the bad guys guessed about and then threatened her with?   I guess keep one's nose really clean and you can call their bluff and not worry about whatever they were threatening with?