Threats of Call Center Gang falsely claiming to be DSI officers

Threats of Call Center Gang falsely claiming to be DSI officers

       Mr. Triyarith Temahivong (the Director-General of the DSI) already publicized the threats of a call center gang phoning and claiming to be the officers of the DSI for demanding money from the injured persons by claiming that the injured persons were being prosecuted by the DSI for committing the criminal offence of money laundering and asking the injured persons to deposit their money into bank accounts as informed by the gang for inspection by the DSI. After inspection completion, money would be transferred to them. The injured persons were also tricked into going to the DSI for interrogation. This way increased credibility of the gang who finally left with money. Despite advice on how to observe and handle with the said matters by the Director-General, the people continually become victims. Recently, during the New Year’s Day and on January 8-9, 2022, there were some injured persons came to the DSI as fooled by the gang, while some already transferred their money to the gang.     

       Today, once again the DSI wants to emphasize the way to observe and handle with the said matters in order to warn the public about the threats of the said gang as follows:

1. There is no contact via phone from officers of the DSI or other government agencies asking for personal information about finance, account number, money transfer, or any financial transaction, and there is no appointment with officer of the DSI after official hours and days. If you encounter the said circumstance, you should hang up immediately to avoid being convinced by criminals.

2. If you believed and transferred money to criminals, you should report the case to the inquiry officials where the incident happened and urgently contact your bank to suspend transactions as soon as possible.

       Although the said case is not its special case, it concerns the DSI as people believed by reason of falsely claiming to be the officers of the DSI. The Director-General assigned the Surveillance and Intelligence Division to investigate until discovering that it is a foreign gang employing Thai people as swindlers. Deception by phoning via the Voice Over Internet Protocal (VOIP) system and using mobile phone numbers of Thailand were calls from border areas. Bank accounts of Thai people were supplied for receiving transferred money. The account holders would apply for E-banking to facilitate to the offender groups. Some criminals would register mobile phone numbers for calling and deception with deposit accounts. From checking the financial route, it was found that the procedure of money transfer between accounts was complicated not less than 4 layers to avoid freezes on deposit accounts. Moreover, transactions via E-banking in neighboring countries were found. This case is under further investigation and coordination with the Royal Thai Police for arrest, prosecutions, and forfeitures of things/property.

       The DSI wishes to advise Thai people employed by foreign criminals to lure Thai people not to commit crime. Because the injured persons might be members of your family, and you might be prosecuted and seized assets. If you have information about or clues to the said matters, you could submit information to the DSI at its address no. 128, Chaeng Watthana Road, Thung Song Hong Subdistrict, Lak Si District, Bangkok, 10210, its website www.dsi.go.th, or its hotline 1202 (free call nationwide). The DSI will keep information of its informants confidential.

Dated January 11, 2022