Big Joke at the double! Crime buster smashes call center gang in Manila!

[webfact]

Big Joke at the double! Crime buster smashes call center gang in Manila!

Pictures: Thai Tourist Police

 

 

There is no hiding from Thailand's number one crime buster.

 

Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal was pictured running to a house in the leafy suburbs of a Manila residential district to bust a Thai-staffed call center gang.

 

The Maj Gen who is deputy commissioner of the Thai Tourist Police Bureau - and known in Thailand as Big Joke - teamed up with immigration police and the justice ministry of The Philippines in the latest high profile bust yesterday.

 

 

In a two story property in the Alabang area of the Philippine capital the arresting officers took down 15 Thais from the north east of Thailand.

 

Their boss is from Taiwan and known to Big Joke who has busted call centers both at home and throughout the region on the orders of RTP chief Chakthip Chaijinda, said the TPB website that carried many pictures of the bust.

 

Channel 7 TV news showed footage of the major general in action.

 

Most of the victims of the gang were living in Bangkok. It had been operating for over a year and after a lull in operations recently it just conned a person in Bangkok out of a million baht.

 

 

Losses to Thais were said to be over 30 million baht in the last year.

 

A host of evidence was seized including scripts of what Thais involved in the scheme were supposed to say to potential victims.

 

 

The gang is believed connected to other operations in Malaysia.

 

Thaivisa notes that Surachet was interviewed earlier in the week in which he said that Thai based call center operations had all but been obliterated.

 

 

His moves in the Philippines may help to restore some of his reputation after a backlash he received from posters following news that he was under orders from the government to go after a woman in London for spreading fake news.

 

Source: Thai Tourist Police; CH7

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-06-15

 

 

[webfact]

Thai, Philippine police crack down on call centre gang in Manila

By The Nation

 

 

Thai and Philippine police joined hands to crack down on call-centre scamsters operating from Manila who had duped Thais for over a year.

 

Their latest victim was a Nonthaburi resident who was reportedly deceived into wiring Bt2 million. 

 

Sixteen Thai nationals were rounded up from a two-storey house in Manila’s Alabang area, along with their Taiwanese supervisors, during Thursday’s raid.

 

Deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakparn led a team of Thai police officers, who collaborated with Philippine police in the operation. 

 

The Thai suspects reportedly admitted to have made phone calls to dupe their compatriots based on the orders they were given. They insisted that they had been cheated into working at the call-centre. However, police found that many of them had records of travelling between Thailand and the Philippines multiple times, Surachaste said.

 

The house from where they operated was equipped with CCTV cameras to detect any intrusion and had many computers and phones for workers to use to lure victims to wire money to the gang’s bank accounts.

 

Officers also found a list with names of state officials for reference and some prepared scripts between the impostors and potential victims. 

 

Surachate said the gang had changed its modus operandi of having its people withdraw the ill-gotten money in cash at ATMs in Thailand and wire back to using an e-banking service that allowed them to access the money in one account online.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30347814

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-15

[canuckamuck]

The Tourist Police Bureau sure has an extensive jurisdiction.

[Baerboxer]

26 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

The Tourist Police Bureau sure has an extensive jurisdiction.

 

But get's results overseas; and co-operation.

 

Seems that's not always the case ?

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

His moves in the Philippines may help to restore some of his reputation after a backlash he received from posters following news that he was under orders from the government to go after a woman in London for spreading fake news.

Let’s hope it doesn’t. 

[car720]

30 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

The Tourist Police Bureau sure has an extensive jurisdiction.

It extends to anywhere in the world, that a cameraman can reach.  

[BobbyL]

?

 

Like a scene out of a movie. Staged is my opinion. 

[marko kok prong]

First Thailand then the world,this guy sure does some travelling.

[NextStationBangkok]

So, they are pasa Thai call centers, i was wondering how Thai's can operate call centers to make fraud in UK or US, i would be glad if they can get any penny for calling in English.

 

That means Thai callerID system is weak, people from somewhere can call to Thailand without noticing their identity.

[webfact]

Tourist Police work with Philippine Immigration agents to bust call center scamming Thais from Manila

 

 

BANGKOK, 15 June 2018 (NNT) – Thai Tourist Police have worked with the Philippines’ Immigration Bureau to bring down a scam call center based in Manila of the Philippines that has been targeting Thais for over a year, finding 16 Thais working at the center under three Taiwanese operators. 

The center had been in operation for over a year and had recently deceived one Thai victim in transferring close to 2 million baht from Nonthaburi province. 

Pol Maj Gen Surachet said the center in the Philippines was one of the larger of such operations. It used electronic banking services to avoid the need for ATM machines and deceived victims by claiming costs for exported goods or by presenting stories of forced labor abroad. 

The deputy commander said the Philippines’ cooperation with his unit and allowance for Thai police to be a part of the raid was in line with the One World One Team concept currently being implemented throughout the region.

 

-- nnt 2018-06-15

 

[HerbalEd]

1 hour ago, BobbyL said:

?

 

Like a scene out of a movie. Staged is my opinion. 

As if you could possibly know that. Why don't you just admit they did a good job? 

[lubfishin]

52 minutes ago, NextStationBangkok said:

So, they are pasa Thai call centers, i was wondering how Thai's can operate call centers to make fraud in UK or US, i would be glad if they can get any penny for calling in English.

 

That means Thai callerID system is weak, people from somewhere can call to Thailand without noticing their identity.

It's quite easy to fake the cAller I'd with any name or number

[Belzybob]

11 minutes ago, lubfishin said:

It's quite easy to fake the cAller I'd with any name or number

In fact, I'd say too easy. The telcos facilitate it.

[Darcula]

The cameraman ran faster because he's clearly overtaken them for the shot.

[rkidlad]

39 minutes ago, HerbalEd said:

As if you could possibly know that. Why don't you just admit they did a good job? 

 

 

This picture will tell you all you need to know about this man. Ridiculous. 

[sammieuk1]

He is now in line for promotion to humongous joke. 

[Oziex1]

Fake news as far as I'm concerned, entering the realms of fiction. Who is this guy "RTP sans frontiers".

Self promoting brown noser. As I have said before, if he is so good get him to Germany and bring that monk back. 

[toofarnorth]

2 hours ago, BobbyL said:

?

 

Like a scene out of a movie. Staged is my opinion.

Funny that , just what I thought. The opening pic made me instantly think of the ' Mission Impossible ' theme. I wonder how many of his mates got off the plane and said " Is this London then ? "

[hotchilli]

I wonder when he'll return & get stuck into the quarter of a million prostitutes who are working illegally in Thailand

or is that a protected area of Thai employment!!

Rhetorical question really... we already know the answer!

[Cadbury]

2 hours ago, BobbyL said:

?

 

Like a scene out of a movie. Staged is my opinion. 

As raids go, it was not nearly as impressive as the raid on the swingers party in Pattaya where the culprits were videod starkers.

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

recently deceived one Thai victim in transferring close to 2 million baht from Nonthaburi province. 

Who would be desperate and stupid enough to stump up 2 million baht before they had even met the phoney schmuck being advertised? Pay a small deposit fair enough; but 2 million baht!

They must be out there in their droves otherwise these con artists would not be able to exist.

[alfalfa19]

1 hour ago, rkidlad said:

 

 

This picture will tell you all you need to know about this man. Ridiculous. 

Starsky, Hutch, and Big Joke

[BuaBS]

This a wrong as FBI or French police actions in Thailand.  Authority of law enforcement is only in their own country . IF they get invited to another country , should be merely for observation .

 

[Oziex1]

Fake news as far as I'm concerned, entering the realms of fiction. Who is this guy "RTP sans frontiers".

Self promoting brown noser. As I have said before, if he is so good get him to Germany and bring that monk back. 

[TheGhostWithin]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

I wonder when he'll return & get stuck into the quarter of a million prostitutes who are working illegally in Thailand

or is that a protected area of Thai employment!!

Rhetorical question really... we already know the answer!

There are far worse things going on than woman who need, or like money assisting in the needs of lonely men. In many developed and civilised countries prostitution is legal, and safer for the ladies and their customers in those legal environments.

 

There is just worse going on in Thailand than prostitution, it is probably something that Thailand will legalise over time.

 

Big Joke won't take the bang out of Bangkok if he is smart. 

Edited June 15, 2018 by TheGhostWithin

[DrTuner]

4 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

The Tourist Police Bureau sure has an extensive jurisdiction.

I think they should shut down the other branches completely and drop the "tourist" from it. Seems to be the only cop in Thailand doing his job.

[IamNoone88]

He got a better welcome and more active participation in the Philippines than I read the British Police got when they came over to investigate the Hannah Witheridge murder ......

 

 

[tominbkk]

Nice soundtrack behind this 'news'.  sounds like Pirates of the Caribbean.

[chama]

This guy seems to get stuff done, no excuses, barriers are no problem, executes and achieves. Wonder if he has any ambitions outside of police work?

[monkfish]

Me thinks BJ was probably a Tourist on this bust

[monkfish]

50 minutes ago, chama said:

This guy seems to get stuff done, no excuses, barriers are no problem, executes and achieves. Wonder if he has any ambitions outside of police work?

Yes job well done by the Manila police!