Foreign criminal gangs are using Pattaya as haven for online crimes

[webfact]

Pattaya is becoming haven for online crimes

 

 

PATTAYA: -- Foreign criminal gangs are now using Pattaya as haven for their online crimes to cheat their country men, or for online gambling, according to the Chonburi Transnational Crime Coordination Centre.

 

Pol Lt-Col Chiddecha Songhong, an officer attached to the centre, said Pattaya has become a haven for transnational criminals for illegal online activities.

 

They came either as tourists or students and looked for commercial buildings to use as their offices for online crimes.

 

They had turned from renting big houses in housing estates to renting offices in big commercial buildings to avoid attention from residents in the communities, and from government authorities, he said.

 

The change of office location in housing estates was found out after Pattaya police recently busted a Chinese call centre gang and arrested 13 Chinese suspects, including the gang leader identified as Ming Chou Lee.

 

The gang used a four storey commercial building as it’s office.

 

The arrest followed several months long of monitoring and tracking of the gang members to a major commercial building.

 

The officer said police became suspecious of their daily living as these tourists didn’t go out to visit other tourist destinations but just stayed at the same place for a long time.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pattaya-becoming-haven-online-crimes/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-05-23

[johng]

"They came and left at same time every day unlike tourists, prompting the police to believe they were using the place for online crimes, he said."

Well thats a bit of a give away but someone must have tipped them off
surely they dont have the means for
surveillance of every tourist.

"Besides, he said the police are also monitoring commercial buildings where renters have installed high speed internet facilities and large number of computers for use as they might be used for online crimes such as online gambling and call centres."

Hmmm interesting...

[ChrisY1]

And why have the amazing RTP allowed this issue to even develope?

[JerryinTH]

14 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

And why have the amazing RTP allowed this issue to even develope?

You need to pay to play... 

[champers]

This is not news; it has been common knowledge for years. What would be newsworthy is a concerted and continuous strategy to drive all such miscreants out of Thailand. We all know that this won't happen and we all know why.

Cast your minds back to the Tony Kenway assassination and ask yourselves how that resolved itself, or not.

[smedly]

by far the biggest criminal activity carried out in Pattaya by westerners is drug dealing and they are not hard to spot, usually under 50 - have no possible income from outside Thailand - are staying for long periods (usually on overstay or visa runs) - some are over 50 and still have no income from outside Thailand and are getting illegal extensions through agents, all the authorities have to do is look into their income (where it comes from) they also usually have form from their home country

 

Indians are also at it usually fronting their drug business with either a restaurant Tailor or tour company 

[Kadilo]

by far the biggest criminal activity carried out in Pattaya by westerners is drug dealing and they are not hard to spot, usually under 50 - have no possible income from outside Thailand - are staying for long periods (usually on overstay or visa runs) - some are over 50 and still have no income from outside Thailand and are getting illegal extensions through agents, all the authorities have to do is look into their income (where it comes from) they also usually have form from their home country
 
Indians are also at it usually fronting their drug business with either a restaurant Tailor or tour company 

I've often wondered how all these Tailor shops keep going.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Rob13]

41 minutes ago, smedly said:

some are over 50 and still have no income from outside

 

Unless they're running online scams then the moneys coming to them from anywhere they set up an account.

[wakeupplease]

20+ years to find that out?, Intelligence travels slow in these parts.

[stanleycoin]

Foreign criminals in Pattaya, big deal

And the Thais are all just model citizens in pattaya.

all sounds like the usual,   smoke and mirrors

 

[balo]

Nothing new here, but you also find them in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Why all this media attention to Pattaya recently ? 

 

[SheepLover]

13 hours ago, smedly said:

by far the biggest criminal activity carried out in Pattaya by westerners is drug dealing and they are not hard to spot, usually under 50 - have no possible income from outside Thailand - are staying for long periods (usually on overstay or visa runs) - some are over 50 and still have no income from outside Thailand and are getting illegal extensions through agents, all the authorities have to do is look into their income (where it comes from) they also usually have form from their home country

 

Indians are also at it usually fronting their drug business with either a restaurant Tailor or tour company 

I have no visible income ( to you) so I guess I fit your profile as a bad egg?

I rent out my property in the UK and launder the money thro' the Isle of Man to the K bank where it is inspected annually by the Immigration Police. Easy.

Regards, BaaaaBaaaa

[ksamuiguy]

No Shit, going on for years all over "The Kingdom".

As long as no one is put in jail for a long time, no pardon, than get rid of them and their co-conspirators along with them it will continue, business as usual.

The only looser in the end are the honest Thai's trying to make a decent and honest living.

[williamgeorgeallen]

yes pattaya would be a paradise without these criminals.

[cyberfarang]

What about the escort agencies that are obviously run by foreigners and openly advertising prostitution services including Russian women online?

 

There are Pattaya escorts, Bangkok escorts, Chiang Mai escorts and now even an escort quick booking website that are also obviously run by foreigners all in perfect English. Surely these prostitution outfits are just as illegal as onlne gambling outfits, so how do these gangs stay in operation and manage to be ignored by the RTP?

 

This sounds like double standards whereas they pick and choose what illegal online services is a crime and which ones can be ignored and operate with impunity.

Edited May 23, 2017 by cyberfarang

[LennyW]

Nothing new!!

8 years ago one of my houses that was rented out to Chinese turned out to be a call centre, 15 of them arrested, 22 beds, 18 computers, 18 desks, 12 big screen TV"s, a load of security cameras, phones etc. all confiscated - and that was not including all the goodies that was thrown over the wall into the river!!

They had been doing this in that house for 9 months!!!!!

The police told me later that they were making 1.2 million baht a day from that location alone, all scamming their fellow countrymen in China, not in Thailand.

And how did the police find out.........TOT tipped them off, their monthly phone bill was around 60,000 Baht!!

[chiman]

No waaaayyyyyyy

[Mickmouse1]

Do policemen in Thailand watch every tourist on daily basis??

Many times over the years I visit Thailand and I no longer visit touristic sights...Should I watch out ???

[ksamuiguy]

WE have a saying, "follow the money". Tighten the banking regulations more, closely monitor money changers, loan sharks, land transactions.

Foreigners renting a big 2 story villa 8 guys play online poker all night, top of the line laptops they win between $500-800$ a night, every night.

Winnings are paid into a pre-paid Credit Card in a foreign country.

No trace of the money, no tax paid.  

Not to mention the number of web designers doing on line business for foreign customers. (Digital Nomads my ass)

Like Locust the consume what they can and move on, mostly to another location. Easy and no trace of their activity. This is only one way these cheats work, you name it they are doing it. 2 weeks ago, Kow San road farang needed a Id card for proof of age for club entry. 500 baht photo, 30 minutes had a ID card with false identity on it. shop is a stones throw from the local BIB shop!

Will never stop, there is no punishment, just say "I Am Sorry" and move on to the next victim or go home for a break when out of money or on the run, back and do the same thing again, over and over.

 

[klauskunkel]

15 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

And why have the amazing RTP allowed this issue to even develope?

Well, I think it's their strategy to shift the worldwide focus from "Pattaya, Sex Capital of the World" to "Pattaya, the World's Criminal Online Haven".

However, as with pretty much all of the BiB's strategies, it's not working, only wishful thinking.

[smotherb]

9 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

Foreign criminals in Pattaya, big deal

And the Thais are all just model citizens in pattaya.

all sounds like the usual,   smoke and mirrors

 

All countries are straddled with their own miscreants; but when they have to put up with foreigners . . . .  Look at the problems so many countries see with immigrants

[masuk]

17 hours ago, champers said:

This is not news; it has been common knowledge for years. What would be newsworthy is a concerted and continuous strategy to drive all such miscreants out of Thailand. We all know that this won't happen and we all know why.

Cast your minds back to the Tony Kenway assassination and ask yourselves how that resolved itself, or not.

But surely this is what the 90 day reporting is all about.

To keep out the undesirables?  

[smedly]

2 hours ago, SheepLover said:

I have no visible income ( to you) so I guess I fit your profile as a bad egg?

I rent out my property in the UK and launder the money thro' the Isle of Man to the K bank where it is inspected annually by the Immigration Police. Easy.

Regards, BaaaaBaaaa

what is your point ?

 

your money comes from outside Thailand

 

not sure why you posted this

[LennyW]

38 minutes ago, masuk said:

But surely this is what the 90 day reporting is all about.

To keep out the undesirables?  

Nope, only lets immigration know where they are!

[louse1953]

You don't say.

[louse1953]

18 hours ago, champers said:

This is not news; it has been common knowledge for years. What would be newsworthy is a concerted and continuous strategy to drive all such miscreants out of Thailand. We all know that this won't happen and we all know why.

Cast your minds back to the Tony Kenway assassination and ask yourselves how that resolved itself, or not.

God forbid a casino some people keep pushing for Patts,that would be the last nail and i've seen plenty.

[louse1953]

16 hours ago, smedly said:

by far the biggest criminal activity carried out in Pattaya by westerners is drug dealing and they are not hard to spot, usually under 50 - have no possible income from outside Thailand - are staying for long periods (usually on overstay or visa runs) - some are over 50 and still have no income from outside Thailand and are getting illegal extensions through agents, all the authorities have to do is look into their income (where it comes from) they also usually have form from their home country

 

Indians are also at it usually fronting their drug business with either a restaurant Tailor or tour company 

If you know so much,report it,be a good citizen,.

[louse1953]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

What about the escort agencies that are obviously run by foreigners and openly advertising prostitution services including Russian women online?

 

There are Pattaya escorts, Bangkok escorts, Chiang Mai escorts and now even an escort quick booking website that are also obviously run by foreigners all in perfect English. Surely these prostitution outfits are just as illegal as onlne gambling outfits, so how do these gangs stay in operation and manage to be ignored by the RTP?

 

This sounds like double standards whereas they pick and choose what illegal online services is a crime and which ones can be ignored and operate with impunity.

You pay the service fee your in.

[chrisinth]

Why do they come to the conclusion that Pattaya is a magnet for digital criminals as opposed to anywhere else in Thailand? If, and this is heavily hypothetical, the last place I would base myself, for online criminal activity, would be in the middle of a commercial area with a large police force.

 

As long as heavy data transfer isn't happening all the time to alert the ISP's, there are many places in Thailand that have much superior internet connectivity than Pattaya.

 

They make a couple of arrests and think it is only Pattaya where it happens. Of course in the long game, it could be justification for their single gateway project and further amendment to the computer acts.......................

[mikebell]

3 hours ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

yes pattaya would be a paradise without these criminals.

Are you talking about the on-line guys or the BIB?