DSI and MJIB dismantled transnational criminal organization “Call Center Gang”

DSI and MJIB dismantled transnational criminal organization “Call Center Gang”

Since November 2016, the Information Center of Thailand Post received approximately 8,000 complaints from the public detailing the phone scam by a criminal gang (publicly known as a Call Center Gang) phoning and claiming to be the officers of Thailand Post Company Limited, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Royal Thai Police’s Investigation Division of Provincial Police Region 1-9, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Office of Narcotics Control Board, Bank of Thailand, etc., with approximately 100 victims and damage of 200 million bahts.

Assigned by Pol.Col. Paisit Wongmuang (the DSI’s Director-General) and his two deputies (Pol.Col. Songsak Raksaksakul and Pol.Maj. Suriya Singhakamol), Pol.Lt.Col. Wichai Suwanprasert, the Director of Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, and Pol.Lt.Col. Paisith Sungkahapong, the Director of Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime jointly investigated the network of the aforesaid Call Center Gang.

The investigation revealed that the criminal gang’s base of operation was located outside of Thailand. By help of Thai accomplices and employing of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to avoid detection of its gang’s identity, the gang could call the victims with the others’ phone number displaying on the screen. In this case, the government agencies’ phone number, e.g. Thailand Post, DSI, or other agencies were used for reliability and deception by convincing and pushing the victims to deposit or transfer money into its bank account or its “nominated account” (the account opened by the person hired by the gang). The money transferred by the victims were promptly withdrawn from ATMs by foreign criminals disguised as tourists. In the past cases, only the account opener, the money withdrawer, and the minor accomplices, both Thais and foreigners, were arrested.

Investigations by the DSI were aimed at destroying the gang for ceasing the commission of criminal acts. The DSI’s investigation and surveillance revealed phoning via VoIP by a company named PMN Limited and several travelling to foreign countries by Thai suspects related to a Taiwanese gang who suspiciously get rich. Coordinating and exchanging intelligence with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB), Taiwan, the DSI’s team had substantial evidence comprising the script in Thai for phoning to lure the victims and the relationship between Thai suspects and the Taiwanese gang who had been charged with fraud and theft that Thai suspects are controlled by this gang.

Jointly planning the raid on the target places by the DSI and the MJIB, in Bangkok, Thailand and in Taiwan on September 12, 2017, The DSI’s team joined force with the police to search PMN company and could collect evidence from its computer proving the links between its networks registered in Hong Kong, U.K. and USA, while in Taiwan, the MJIB’s team raided the target places in Taichung and Mioli, seized the scripts, computers and communication devices for phone scam, and arrested 7 Taiwanese and 18 Thais suspects. For Thai arrestees, 2 out of 18, a female and a male named in Thai court’s arrest warrants as requested by the DSI in cooperation with the Royal Thai Police, are responsible for arranging the bank accounts, collecting money transferred by the victims, and recruiting Thais to work as the operators in Taiwan.

 The raid to destroy the network of the Call Center Gang both in Thailand and Taiwan on the same day was a successful integrated operation by the DSI, the MJIB, the Royal Thai Police (Immigration Bureau), and Thailand Post. The number of similar complaints has been reduced after this operation, but the DSI still keeps an eye on the phone scam, warns the public about the similar scams, and provides the following advice.

1. Do not trust the call claiming to be the government officers and demanding you to do something. Always keep in mind that there is no order to transfer money for closing the account by phone from Bank of Thailand or any financial institutes. In case the person claiming to be the DSI’s officer, if suspicion, call the DSI at its Hotline 1202.

2. Do not engage in criminal acts for money by opening bank accounts with ATM cards for other persons as it may be used for receiving the proceeds of crime and you might be prosecuted as the accomplices.

3. Do not collaborate with foreign criminal gangs. You might be tempted by the pay, but you are ruining innocent people’s lives by stealing all their life’s savings.

The MJIB warns Thais that illegal immigration into Taiwan for work is a crime and will be prosecuted without exception.