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Thai and South Korean police have arrested two Chinese nationals and eight South Koreans suspected of operating three call scam centres in Bangkok that allegedly defrauded South Korean victims of more than 100 million baht.
Immigration police commissioner Pol Lt Gen Noppasilp Poonsawat said about 30 Thai immigration officers and their South Korean counterparts raided three rented houses on Monday. The properties were in the Lat Phrao-Huai Khwang, Watcharapol-Chatuchot and Ratchada-Phra Ram 9 areas.
Police arrested the 10 suspects and seized 13 computers and 21 mobile phones, Pol Lt Gen Noppasilp said.
The Chinese suspects allegedly supervised the scam centres, while the others allegedly posed as South Korean government officials and public prosecutors to defraud their compatriots of more than 100 million baht.
The raids followed an investigation launched after the arrest in Thailand on Sept 4 of another South Korean man wanted by South Korean authorities in connection with alleged public fraud. Investigators found that he was linked to call scam centres and gambling websites allegedly operated by Chinese and South Korean nationals.
Police focused on the three houses after finding that they were equipped with computers and high-speed internet and were frequently visited by Chinese and South Korean nationals.
Last week, China's embassy in Thailand warned citizens to carefully plan their trips and pay extra attention to transport security following a string of high-profile kidnappings targeting Chinese nationals. The embassy's latest advisory highlighted particular concern over the growing number of entertainers and online influencers being lured to Thailand and trafficked.
