Immigration Police Arrest Gang Leader for Gold Scam and Fake Currency Fraud

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture of arrest.

 

Thai immigration authorities announced on 5 February, that they have arrested a 30-year-old Liberian man, identified only as Mr. Bobby, who was wanted for his role in a scam involving fake gold sales and counterfeit U.S. dollars. 

 

The suspect was apprehended under a warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court (Warrant No. 128/2567, dated 5th February) for theft committed in collaboration with multiple individuals. He has been handed over to police investigators at Lumpini Police Station for prosecution.

 

The investigation began after authorities discovered a televised news report detailing a victim’s complaint about being scammed by a group of foreign nationals on 16th January. The gang, described as African nationals, lured the victim into investing in a gold trading scheme, only to swap the real money with counterfeit U.S. dollar banknotes. The victim lost approximately 1.1 million baht in the process and subsequently filed a police report with Lumpini Police Station.

 

Following an investigation, the Bangkok South Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two individuals based on CCTV footage: Mr. Jason and Mr. Kevin (real names and nationalities unknown). Subsequent inquiries led to the arrest of Mr. Jason, also known as Mr. Kanu, a Sierra Leonean national. He was handed over to the authorities, while another suspect, Mr. Cissé  a Liberian national, had his visa revoked and was transferred to the Immigration Detention Centre for deportation. Authorities were still working to identify and locate the suspect known as Kevin.

 

Further investigations by the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division 1 revealed that Mr. Bobby closely resembled the suspect identified as Kevin in CCTV footage. When shown photographs of Mr. Bobby, the victim confirmed that he was indeed the same person who played a critical role in the scam.

 

Mr. Bobby’s responsibilities included arranging meetings for gold transactions, escorting victims to smelting facilities for gold verification, and persuading them to exchange money into U.S. dollars for the purchase. During the actual transaction, he worked alongside Mr. Jason (Kanu) to swap the legitimate money with counterfeit notes.

 

Authorities traced Mr. Bobby’s movements and discovered he was planning to travel to Bang Phra, Sri Racha district, Chonburi province. Officers were dispatched to the area, where they intercepted and questioned him. Initially, Mr. Bobby denied being the individual in the arrest warrant photographs. He was subsequently taken to the Immigration Bureau’s office for further verification. After cross-checking his travel records and arranging for the victim to positively identify him, officers confirmed his identity and placed him under arrest.

 

Mr. Bobby has now been formally charged under the arrest warrant and handed over to Lumpini Police Station for legal proceedings. Authorities continue to investigate other possible members of the gang and urge the public to remain cautious of similar fraudulent schemes.

 

-- 2025-02-07

 

 

[hotchilli]

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location.

[AgMech Cowboy]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location.

Shoot hotchilli!  I thought it always was, not turning "into". 

[NativeBob]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location.

It always was. But pretty calm paradise, unlike Manila.

[black tabby12345]

Authorities were still working to identify and locate the suspect known as Kevin..

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They should have all these information suppressed till they capture the whole criminal ring altogether.

 

When it makes a headline, it only alerts the accomplice(still at large)  and helps his escape to outside Thailand.

 

It is said to be Thai police's common tactical error.

Premature Media Release...

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 2/7/2025 at 1:31 PM, hotchilli said:

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location.

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location for foreign scammers.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Thailand seems to be turning into a scam paradise location for foreign scammers.

All scammers, some locals