8 South Korean men arrested in Bangkok for call centre scam

Immigration Bureau officers yesterday arrested eight South Korean men at a luxury condominium in Bangkok for using the condo to run a call centre scam, swindling money from fellow South Korean nationals residing in Thailand.

Officers received a tip-off from an informant that South Korean nationals used a condominium in Soi Ekkamai 3, in Bangkok’s Wattana district to run the call centre scam. Many South Korean nationals were reportedly seen regularly entering and exiting a condo room on the fourth floor throughout the day. The sign on the room read “Content Factory Korea & Thai.”

Officers raided the condo yesterday, August 21, and managed to arrest eight South Korean men who were working in front of computers and making calls to victims.

According to the police report, each South Korean man would call a victim, inviting them to invest with a South Korean bank, Hana Partners Investment. The victims would be asked to log into a fake bank website, resulting in the loss of their investment after following the procedures.

The eight foreign suspects admitted to their criminal activities. They claimed that they were hired to scam people by speaking to victims over the phone or via social media platforms, tricking them into fraudulent investments. In addition to a monthly salary, they would also earn a share of the money they managed to swindle from victims.

Officers seized equipment used in the scam, including 40 monitors, 20 computers, 17 mobile phones, and four tablets. They will coordinate with South Korean officials to conduct further investigations into other suspects involved.

The eight South Korean men were initially charged under Sections 8 and 101 of the Emergency Decree on the Management of Foreign Workers: working without a work permit. The penalty is a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht, deportation, and a ban on applying for a work permit for two years.

They were also found to have entered Thailand illegally and therefore face additional charges under Section 81 of the Immigration Act: entering or staying in the Kingdom of Thailand without permission or with expired permission. The penalty is imprisonment for up to two years and a fine of up to 20,000 baht.