3 Swedes, 4 Norwegians Arrested In Call Centre Gang Crackdown

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Call Centre Gang Apprehended



Tourist police raided the scam call centre office that was running over an internet shop by a European gang who used internet overseas calling to defraud the victims abroad. Approximately 10 million baht was discovered having been transferred to the gang’s accounts.

Pattaya, 23rd February 2011 [PDN] At 1.00 am police Major Arun Phromphan Pattaya Tourist Police Inspector, together with Major Atthaphon Saenjai, Tourist Police Officer, led a taskforce holding the Pattaya Provincial Court’s arrest warrant number 129/2554, signed on 22nd February, to raid “Viking Internet”, 358/22, Viking Hotel, Soi South Pattaya 14, South Pattaya Road, Nongprue, Banglamung. The investigation disclosed that the internet shop was the site from which its operators used telephones via internet in order to defraud victims abroad.

At the scene, they found 2 large adjoining rooms, which had been modified from the hotel’s meeting hall being used as the office. A lot of computers were found to be installed inside with seven Europeans sitting in front of them calling online. All European suspects were arrested and evidence was impounded including 18 computers with 17 LCD screens, 1 printer, some archives and notebooks as well as written lists of massive telephone numbers.

Under interrogation it was established that the suspects were four Norwegians, the other 3 being Swedish, They were charged with doing business in the kingdom without work permits, which all deny.

Full story and pictures HERE

-- Pattaya Daily News 2010-02-23

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[TAWP]

Please let them spend time in the immigrations holding-cells too...

[janetdoe]

"They were charged with doing business in the kingdom without work permits"

wow, now that's what I call news

[Mario2008]

Interesting charge, working without a work permit. But one that brings a maximum jail term of 5 years and/or a fine of 100,000 baht with it.

[tragickingdom]

Looks a solid case to me. An internet cafe with 18 computers and one printer. Farangs using skype or other Ip telephony programs that must be a smoking gun, but than again, why arresting everybody in the internet cafe and charging them with working without a work permit? If they had any proof they would have laid embezzlement charges. I put my cards on a disgruntled police general who did not got its pay off.

[bramds]

I love it how they always give you full names and pictures in Thailand

Would never happen in Europe.

[Thai at Heart]

Sitting in a room chatting on the internet constitutes working?

I hope there is a little more evidence to this or they will hardly need Perry Mason to get them off.

[isaanbrit]

These people obviously forgot to pay their tea money - lol

[zorro1]

More swedes again, they keep popping up.

[happylarry]

"Tourist police raided the scam call centre office that was running over an internet shop by a European gang who used internet overseas calling to defraud the victims abroad."

You guys need to read the posts more carefully then you'd see that it wasnt the internet shop that was raided.... lol

HL

[Tatsujin]

The very fact that they've been charged with working without a Work Permit should tell you something . . . the first of many?

[Pib]

Do they get one free call from jail?

[SICHONSTEVE]

"written lists of massive telephone numbers"

Just how long were these telephone numbers????????

[TAWP]

7 foreigners arrested as they where scamming your friends and relatives surely could be breaking news?

If nothing else, events like these can affect us all, even lead to 'clampdowns'...

[sirchai]

Interesting charge, working without a work permit. But one that brings a maximum jail term of 5 years and/or a fine of 100,000 baht with it.

I guess 300,000 baht will fix the problem and these Noblemen will be free again.....

[stevehaigh]

could some of you criminal types please try somewhere besides Pattaya?

[sirchai]

Please let them spend time in the immigrations holding-cells too...

Time that they have to sleep on the floor//////:jap: These bastards are not sitting on plastic chairs, their feet pointing to the Thais. <deleted>, a lack of Thai culture?

[SICHONSTEVE]

Sitting in a room chatting on the internet constitutes working?

I hope there is a little more evidence to this or they will hardly need Perry Mason to get them off.

"Approximately 10 million baht was discovered having been transferred to the gang’s accounts"

This, plus the fact that they have impounded the computers, found note books with all of the records of what they have been up to ( no doubt nicely laid out for them) with an extensive list of telephone numbers of people that have been ripped off by these scamsters!!! I think that they will need someone a bit more clever than Perry Mason to get them off this rather large hook.

[Phuket Stan]

I love it how they always give you full names and pictures in Thailand

Would never happen in Europe.

Well we are not in Europe...this is Thailand and thats how they do it here....you will find in many Asian countries its a name-em and shame-em game... maybe some pics tomorrow of the re-enactment... ....

You dont think that the two 21 year old guys and 20 year old girl are not going to give the police some "useful information"

[sirchai]

More swedes again, they keep popping up.

What's going on there? Swedes, aren't they normally hiding behind trees? Or being tourist police helpers who love to help arrest a foreigner who held one gram of weed.

Seems they developed, but to be honest I hate these SCAMMERS....:jap:

[Pib]

could some of you criminal types please try somewhere besides Pattaya?

But Pattaya is well known as the city of opportunity.

[BlueSmurf]

These people are SCUM!!!!!! they steal money from people by offering high rates of return...these are Boiler Rooms that they run..Google or look it up on Youtube..They came to my attention last year when a friend of mine was recruited in the Uk. He was promised a great job selling some sort of package to clients...He checked them out on their wesite and they seemed legit..On arrival he was introduced to the scam..he and one other who had left his job to take up this offer returned to the Uk but others stayed.I guess the money on offer was good....He told me the area the office was located in bangkok was full of these such Boiler Rooms.......he said when they called people their calls were not seen to be coming from Thailand but a country in Europe. A bad bunch indeed.....

[moskito]

Interesting charge, working without a work permit. But one that brings a maximum jail term of 5 years and/or a fine of 100,000 baht with it.

These callcenters are all over Thailand. I know two of them in Phuket. One of the biggest has comercial adds all over the internet in Chiang Mai. They are looking for girls only (:

[Tatsujin]

He told me the area the office was located in bangkok was full of these such Boiler Rooms

That would be Silom.

.......he said when they called people their calls were not seen to be coming from Thailand but a country in Europe.

That would be through Skype or similar VOIP where you can get a "local" number to use.

There were and still are lots of these boiler-rooms operating around apparently, only occasionally do they seem to get 'raided' tho, probably only when they stop paying for their "tea" I guess.

[exbelg]

commong sense: never buy anything over the phone, right... anyway, if you do ont sign any paper, what does a sale over the phone makes it legit ?

[Bakseedaa]

I love it how they always give you full names and pictures in Thailand

Would never happen in Europe.

In Thailand you are guilty until you prove you are innocent... a much better system if the police were always to be believed..!! Thats why they can show the pics before a guilty verdict...

[gotlost]

Equal opportunity for criminals. I love it.

[webfact]

Swedish and Norwegian call center operators arrested by Pattaya Tourist Police

PATTAYA: -- Pattaya’s Tourist Police have shut down a suspected call center whereby Swedish and Norwegian Operators would allegedly scam their compatriots out of money. Armed with arrest warrant number 129/2554 dated 22nd February 2011, Tourist Police Officers raided the Viking Hotel located in Soi 14 off South Pattaya Road and arrested 7 Swedish and Norwegian Nationals accused of working in Thailand without the necessary work permits and visas. Part of the hotel had been converted into, what appeared to be, a call center under the trading name of Global Telemarketing Ltd. Equipment such as computers, handsets and modems were recovered and it was determined the workers would use VOIP (voice over internet protocol) which would use Swedish and Norwegian Telephone Numbers to appear as if the call center was situated there rather than Thailand. The alleged scam would involve the call center operators promising to search for employment for the victims in return for a one-off payment made to an account which would then be shut down after the payment was received.

Full story HERE

-- Pattaya One 2011-02-23

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[Randee]

" All European suspects were arrested and evidence was impounded including 18 computers with 17 LCD screens, 1 printer, some archives and notebooks

as well as written lists of massive telephone numbers."

must've got sore fingers

[agord]

"written lists of massive telephone numbers"

Just how long were these telephone numbers????????

they were massive 082