Crime Thai Police Dismantle Scam Ring Targeting Australians, Arrest 13 Foreign Nationals

[mjakob007]

Africans & Asians not leading the pack this time!

[shackleton]

It's amazing how some people fall for money scams 

Obviously thinking of making easy 💰 

I think to myself there for the grace of God go thee

I worked hard for my money and so far have kept it 😇

[MadAtMatrix]

Courtesy of the thai examiner 

The suspects are:

Mark Dennis, 54 (Australian, identified as the ringleader)

Mark Andrew Howship, 56 (British)

Nicholas John Mason, 43 (Deputy leader)

Brett Peter Dawson, 51

Ellis Ian James, 59

Mark McKenzie, 61

Jeremy Fortuen, 44

Christopher Pepena, 48

Dean Crowley, 42

Lewis Samuel Gillespie, 30

Lewis Robbie, 40

Luke Cameron Campbell, 45

Szeto Kwak Ji, 58

[Iron Tongue]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

allegedly tricking 14 Australians into investing in fake bonds, costing victims an estimated 40 billion baht.

What kind of hack journalism is this.  I think someone doesn't understand proper decimal placement.

40 billion baht divided by 14 means that each one averaged EIGHTY-SIX MILLION, NINE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX MILLION US dollars per trade.

Anyone with that much liquid capital to invest wouldn't be taking random phone calls, and would have an army of lawyers, accountants, and advisors to handle their money.

[cynic1]

19 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Hang on, all of us are not that stupid, actually I did not know any of us were that stupid (do not mention the Thai ladies' charms). Any way the AFP are on the job and caught these that have been operating for 2 decades according to the report.

Firstly, I never mentioned, "(do not mention the Thai ladies' charms)."

Secondly, What has the AFP, being the Australian Federal police in the actual bust. It was the Thai police who did that ?

 

Anyway whatever your smoking or drinking. Thanks for the offer but no thanks.🤪

[advancebooking]

scummy conmen who dont have the IQ to make big money the honest way. Som nom na to you all. 

[black tabby12345]

14 hours ago, norsurin said:

Right.I really hate this kind of people.They ruined lifes to many.People loose their money and homes.Families with small kids also.This kind of scammers is the worst s...that excist on the earth.They should be given to the people on the streets and face the same as Gadaffi and Saddam Hussein.

 

In modern 1st world, jail conditions are often increasingly comfortable.

The society is getting sickly pro-criminal.Human rights fundamentalism(over emphasis of perpetrators' well-being), the common sick sociology among the west.

Pampering cunning, and dangerous criminals in the name of "education".

Disgusting.

[IsaanGuy]

They couldn’t resist making their hq in a large mansion. Idiots, tarps or no tarps.

[radiochaser]

On 6/18/2025 at 2:54 AM, StandardIssue said:

Ah, one in the endless parade of scammer groups operating out of Pattaya, Bangkok and the like. 

 

Unfortunately this bust is probably just a small dent in the problem.

 

There are some real nasty Indian scammers doing business out of Pattaya targeting USA. Refund scammers, tech support scammers, crypto currency scammers. It's terrible

So Pattaya is where those Alpha Hotels are calling me from!

 

[radiochaser]

14 hours ago, Joe Boy Walton said:

Note to self: Must sell that big rock I own in the middle of Oz. Not a scam, anyone interested? 😆

If that rock were green in color, I would make an offer to you.   

[ThreeCardMonte]

I suppose it’s a good job for a skint overstayer or a digital nomad that’s lost his digital.

 

Or a fired bar manager or fired school teacher that can’t process the thought of going back home for a real job.

[StandardIssue]

8 hours ago, black tabby12345 said:

 

In modern 1st world, jail conditions are often increasingly comfortable.

The society is getting sickly pro-criminal.Human rights fundamentalism(over emphasis of perpetrators' well-being), the common sick sociology among the west.

Pampering cunning, and dangerous criminals in the name of "education".

Disgusting.

 

Yea, that's not true. And just because YOU THINK, criminals should have harsh punishment that includes crappy prison conditions doesn't make it the best way to rehabilitate and treat people who in many cases have never been given a shot at a normal life.

 

Scandinavian countries have very progressive criminal rehabilitation programs that have been found to be very effective. Criminals ARE NOT BORN, they are made through tough to horrible childhoods filled with mistreatment, neglect and the like. Lot's of unwanted children, orphans and abused kids become criminals or sociopaths through neglect,  horrible abuse and mistreatment.

 

Any good prison / rehabilitation program should include a way to help someone lead a normal life and NOT return to a life of crime.

 

People who advocate things like poorer prison conditions, the death penalty, no rehab programs for prisons have no understanding on how this kind of thing effects society. IT KEEPS PRISONS FILLED, instead of getting to the root of the problem which is WHY people commit crime and how to solve their problems which in many cases can be fixed as evidenced by rehab systems in Norway and other more civilized countries.

 

 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
This is additional CIB video of the surveillance and raid.

 

 

[harada]

23 hours ago, PJ71 said:

How come their faces are not blurred out.

Tha AFP are involved, no tea money.

[Stuart dunsmore]

Is it possible for the RTP to investigate FINTOCH OR FSC, same company, for FRAUD?

I invested 50,000฿ and 20,000฿ for my wife 3 years ago. I have asked several times to withdraw my money from them, their excuse was mostly ‘the stock market is low’

unfortunately I got cancer whilst living in Thailand, and explained my health issues to them. Same excuse, stock market is low. 
Basically I have now written this investment off. 
Stuart Dunsmore. 
https://www.quora.com/Is-Fintoch-legit-or-a-scam

[norsurin]

Let the people who get scammed take care of that gang and never to be seen again.

[madone]

On 6/18/2025 at 1:07 PM, Purdey said:

Would be nice to know how the scam worked so everyone could avoid it.

Its a boiler room. Interesting to see them back in the news. 

You call someone as a representative of a fake brokerage you created and tell them u have an investment opportunity for them. bonds, an IPO, stocks or funds. 

You have well-prepared tech to make you look legit to anyone ill-informed with poor tech knowledge.

Stupid people send money. 


 

[madone]

On 6/18/2025 at 2:04 PM, StandardIssue said:

 

It's big business, there are loads of people getting scammed everyday, many of them elderly. 

Do a Youtube search on Kitboga. He's a scam baiter and he's very good at it. He effectively dupes scammers and makes hilarious videos of the scam baits and dupes.

It shines a big light on how the scams work.

Many of them are refund scams, tech support scams and the like. 

 

 

 

 

This guy deals with indian gift card scammers. The real boiler rooms have far better tech.  They have entire investment platforms and deal with stocks, crypto, and investments rather than subscription cancellations and refunds. A completely different animal.  

[madone]

The fact that their faces are hidden means they are likely going to walk away from this.  

I'm rather surprised, most of these shops left Thailand 10 years ago. 

[StandardIssue]

32 minutes ago, madone said:

This guy deals with indian gift card scammers. The real boiler rooms have far better tech.  They have entire investment platforms and deal with stocks, crypto, and investments rather than subscription cancellations and refunds. A completely different animal.  

 

Refund scammers are some of his common targets, his stock in trade, but he's also done car sale scams, tech support scams, car warranty scams and investment scams just not as frequent. He's got hours and hours of videos baiting different scam call centers and boiler rooms, some he's single handedly put out of business. Perogi is another guy who goes further and hacks into scam call centers. Jim Browning is also famous for completely recking scam call center computers buy infecting them with terrible computer viruses and taking over their closed circuit camera systems, VOIP telephone equipment etc. good fun to watch some of the bigger operations get taken down. 

[madone]

1 minute ago, StandardIssue said:

 

Refund scammers are some of his common targets, his stock in trade, but he's also done car sale scams, car warranty scams and investment scams just not as frequent. 

my point stands. This is not related to that.

[heybuz]

On 6/18/2025 at 8:07 PM, cynic1 said:

I guess many Australian suckers are from the baby booma era and many are not even aware of how to use a computer let alone a mobile. They were the days when we trusted people. Now that the world and scum nations can contact you they still believe we are all honest humans. Sadly in reality now that is not the case.

I beg your pardon I'm near eighty and been mucking about with computers since dos.

[cynic1]

50 minutes ago, heybuz said:

I beg your pardon I'm near eighty and been mucking about with computers since dos.

 

50 minutes ago, heybuz said:

I beg your pardon I'm near eighty and been mucking about with computers since dos.

Good for you! You were lucky like me. I learnt more about them when I worked for Exon Mobil in Sydney Australia- now the biggest company in the world ( As I reported to the Directors and had a fast learning curve). In shot most people from the baby boomer era never had my job and nor the opportunity to learn about low life scammers.

[NightSky]

Something I always struggle to understand with these dumb ass scammers is that by going to the length of all that hard work they may as well be building a real business that makes millions and that can later be sold for many multiples.
 

It probably takes the same time and commitment as a scam business! 
 

Of course we all know that the problem with scams is that once the person knows they are being scammed they stop paying. 

 

The idea of good business is to have repeat customers. The hardest part is getting the customers.
 

Some people are such dim sums!