Crime Police Arrest 3rd Vietnamese iPhone Loan Shark Gang

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

Immigration police have arrested five Vietnamese nationals involved in an illegal loan shark operation in Thanyaburi District, Pathum Thani, marking the third bust of its kind in as many months.

 

The group, operating from a residential property, is accused of extorting fellow Vietnamese citizens by offering online loans via Facebook, then demanding iCloud credentials as “collateral.” When borrowers defaulted, the gang used Apple’s “Find My iPhone” feature to lock the victims’ devices, rendering them unusable.

 

According to Immigration Division 3, victims were subjected to harassment, including repeated lost-device alerts and threats to delete their data or publish sensitive images on social media. Interest rates on the loans reportedly soared as high as 350% per annum.

 

Acting on instructions from Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Phanumas Boonyalaksana, officers raided the premises on 1 August. Inside, they found five Vietnamese nationals, aged between 20 and 40, along with more than 25 mobile phones, desktop computers and laptops used in the operation.

 

The suspects confessed to being administrators for the illicit lending network, which advertised on Facebook and communicated using the Zello app. They were charged with criminal association and working without the necessary permits.

 

Pol Maj Gen Chairit Anurit stated that Vietnamese authorities had dismantled similar networks in their own country, prompting some perpetrators to flee to Thailand. Despite two earlier operations in June and July, which saw 14 suspects arrested, police believe more network members remain at large.

 

The five suspects were transferred to Khlong Luang Police Station for legal proceedings. Following trial and sentencing, they will be deported, have their visas revoked and be permanently blacklisted from returning to Thailand.

 

Under Vietnamese law, offences of this nature carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

 

Authorities emphasised their ongoing cooperation with foreign police forces and renewed their call for the public to report suspicious activity related to transnational crimes via the Immigration Bureau’s hotline.

 

The case underscores the increasing sophistication of international digital crime syndicates that exploit smartphone technology and social media to prey on vulnerable populations across Southeast Asia.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-08-02