3 Chinese men arrested in online gambling and call centre scam

Immigration Bureau officers arrested three Chinese men in Chon Buri for operating a multinational online gambling and call centre scam with over 5.5 billion baht in circulation.

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China requested cooperation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to arrest the Chinese suspect, 47 year old Su, for fraud and operating a casino. The case was then transferred to the Immigration Bureau.

An investigation into Su revealed that he entered Thailand using a Vanuatu passport, not his Chinese one. Su was found residing in a house in Soi Tung Klom-Tanman in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri.

Further investigation showed that the other two wanted Chinese suspects, 46 year old Jang and 39 year old Su Jiang, connected to Su, also travelled to Thailand with Vanuatu passports and were living with Su at the house in Chon Buri.

Officers later raided the house and managed to arrest all three suspects there. Police reported that the suspects frequently relocated to avoid arrest. Officers seized their mobile phones, laptops, and documents related to their Vanuatu nationalities from the accommodation.

The Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, Phantana Nutchanart, revealed during a press conference yesterday, August 22, that Su and Jang operated an online gambling site based in Manila, Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. The website had many members and over 5.5 billion baht in circulation.

Su was also a leading member of a call centre scam gang with a headquarters in Dubai. Additionally, Su Jiang was found to be overstaying his visa, leading him to face further charges beyond fraud. Each suspect will later be transferred to Chinese officials for further legal proceedings and punishment.

In a related report, three Chinese nationals were arrested at a condominium in Bangkok three weeks ago for running a call centre scam using a SIM box.

Another Chinese man, 42 year old Duan, was arrested in Bangkok in May for illegally running a travel agency. Police later discovered that Duan was wanted for luring retailers into purchasing high-end rare wines but never delivering the products to the victims.