Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

 

Thai police working with the FBI have recovered and returned stolen cryptocurrency to Thai victims after arresting a 35-year-old European hacker in Phuket. The joint operation, code-named “Operation 293,” is being described as one of Thailand’s most successful international cybercrime recoveries to date.

 

The suspect was apprehended at a hotel in Phuket’s Thalang District following an FBI alert that he had fled to Thailand. According to Lt. Gen. Suraphon Prempoot, commander of Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), the hacker had used malware to infiltrate victims’ computers, stealing authentication keys and seed phrases used to access crypto trading accounts. The stolen funds were then converted into USDT and Bitcoin before being moved across multiple wallets.

 

Police determined that the hacker, whose name was withheld, but is from an Eastern European nation bordering Asia. Working closely with Tether, the issuer of USDT, investigators were able to freeze the stolen assets. Cooperation with Thai crypto exchange Bitkub allowed officers to analyse smart contracts and secure 432,000 USDT, which were subsequently transferred into the CCIB’s custody wallet for restitution.

 

During a press conference on November 12, Thai cybercrime officers displayed digital wallets showing over 14 million baht in recovered cryptocurrency. Authorities said $320,000 in funds have been formally returned to two Thai victims on November 10, while six other victims of the same scheme have been identified, with their total losses exceeding 100,000 USDT.

 

Lt. Gen. Suraphon emphasised the operation’s significance in combating transnational cybercrime. “This operation shows that even sophisticated hackers cannot hide behind digital anonymity,” he said, highlighting the value of collaboration between law enforcement and private technology firms. The case underscores how coordinated international efforts can lead to tangible asset recovery for victims of cyber fraud.

 

Moving forward, the CCIB and FBI plan to continue intelligence sharing to trace additional assets linked to the suspect and prevent similar cyber thefts targeting Thai users. Authorities said the success of Operation 293 sets a precedent for future cross-border investigations involving cryptocurrency-related crimes.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Thai police and the FBI recovered stolen cryptocurrency linked to a European hacker.

• The suspect was arrested in Phuket after using malware to steal victims’ authentication keys and crypto assets.

• The seized funds were returned to Thai victims, marking one of the country’s biggest cybercrime recoveries.

 

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  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Khaosod 2025-11-13

 

 

 

 

Scum... jail him

But , but crytocurrencies are safe and anonymous.

Yet time after time we read about police/governments

getting their hands on it.

On 11/13/2025 at 4:59 AM, Georgealbert said:

Eastern European nation bordering Asia

 

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria?

32 minutes ago, FlorC said:

But , but crytocurrencies are safe and anonymous.

Yet time after time we read about police/governments

getting their hands on it.

The anonymous part is just misinformation floating around.

The purpose of the blockchain is to keep a record of every single transaction.

44 minutes ago, rwill said:

1 hour ago, FlorC said:

But , but crytocurrencies are safe and anonymous.

Yet time after time we read about police/governments

getting their hands on it.

The anonymous part is just misinformation floating around.

The purpose of the blockchain is to keep a record of every single transaction.

 

But isn't that one of the biggest selling point of crypto?  It's out of the gub'ment's reach...  Apparently not.  And without that feature, all you have is money created from nuthin'.  Like tulip bulbs and invisible clothes.

 

BTW, the blockchain can be anonymous, like numbered Swiss accounts from the olden days.

UPDATE
Thai–US Operation Nabs Russian Cyber Spy in Phuket

 

 

3 hours ago, rwill said:

The anonymous part is just misinformation floating around.

The purpose of the blockchain is to keep a record of every single transaction.

Depends on the specific coin - Monero remains virtually untraceable from what I understand.  

4 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

 

Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria?

Azerbaijan is not in Europe