Cyber Police Smash Vietnamese “Mule Account” Syndicate in Mall

Picture courtesy of Daily News.

Cybercrime police have arrested ten people, including six Vietnamese nationals, after raiding a money laundering operation at a busy shopping mall in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district. The gang is accused of running a sophisticated “mule account” network linked to fraudulent gold trading schemes targeting Thai investors.

Police from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), led by Pol Lt Gen Trirong Piwpan and senior officers, announced the results of the operation on 16 August. Acting on intelligence that Vietnamese fraudsters were hiring Thai citizens to open bank accounts for criminal use, officers moved in on a planned handover at the food court of a well-known shopping centre.

According to investigators, the group paid Thai “account holders” between 3,000 and 5,000 baht per account. Once money from victims was transferred, it was quickly withdrawn in cash and passed to Vietnamese coordinators, who managed the funds behind the scenes.

During the sting, police tracked suspects as they withdrew money from ATMs and bank counters. One Vietnamese man, later identified as Nguyen Xuan Tung, attempted to flee towards Phahonyothin Road carrying a black bag. He was intercepted by local patrol officers after dropping the bag, which was found to contain 400,000 baht in cash.

In total, police detained ten suspects, six Vietnamese (five men and one woman), two Thai brokers and two Thai account holders. Early evidence links the syndicate to at least 30 to 40 cases of online investment fraud involving bogus gold trading platforms.

The suspects face multiple charges including membership of a criminal organisation, operating mule accounts for cybercrime, and offences under the Computer Crime Act. They were handed over to investigators at CCIB Division 1 for further questioning, while officers pledged to widen the probe to identify accomplices still at large.

Pol Lt Gen Trirong described the bust as a strike against foreign-led crime groups exploiting Thailand as a base.

“This operation cuts off a money laundering network used by Vietnamese gangs preying on Thai citizens,” he said. “We believe more offenders remain in hiding and further arrests will follow.”

Police urged the public to remain vigilant against online investment scams, warning that “easy profits” offered through social media are often fronts for organised international fraud.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Daily News 2025-08-17