Chinese National Arrested for U.S. E-commerce Fraud Using Thai Citizens' Data

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In a recent crackdown, Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) captured a Chinese man involved in e-commerce fraud targeting customers in the United States. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Guo Xin, was arrested at a rented house in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok, where he operated a scam using personal information from Thai citizens.

 

Xin and his Thai girlfriend, 24-year-old Tararat Buabjit, allegedly used Thai personal data—purchased for 900 to 1,000 baht per record—to create accounts on U.S.-based e-commerce platforms Etsy and Amazon. They offered products at low prices to build store credibility over a period of five to six months.

 

These accounts were later sold to other Chinese nationals for between 40,000 yuan and 200,000 baht. The new account holders reportedly engaged in scamming unsuspecting customers by taking large orders and then shutting down the stores without delivering promised products or providing refunds.

 

 

Upon investigation, police confiscated 120 mini PCs, 80 USB hubs, and 369 mobile broadband modems along with SIM cards, laptops, and monitors—all allegedly used in the fraudulent operations.

 

Xin, who entered Thailand legally on a digital nomad visa (or LTR visa), denied the fraudulent activities, stating he followed directives from his Chinese employer. Tararat claimed ignorance about most details of the operations but admitted to Xin’s use of Thai citizens’ personal data for the scheme—managing around 100 online stores.

 

Legal charges and potential penalties for Xin and Tararat have not yet been made public.

 

-- 2024-12-02