Frenchman arrested in Chiang Mai for selling fake ID cards

Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) officers arrested a Frenchman in the northern province of Chiang Mai for making and selling fake identification (ID) cards of French citizens. Unfortunately, another French suspect managed to evade the arrest.

The French authorities discovered the sale of counterfeit ID cards on the dark web. These fake identities were used to commit several crimes in France, causing a loss of about 90 million euros (3.5 billion baht). Further investigation revealed that a 51 year old French man, Francois, produced and delivered them from Thailand.

Francois lived in the Hangdong district of Chiang Mai with his Thai wife of about 15 years. To bring him to justice, the French authorities coordinated with the CCIB of Thailand to conduct a raid and arrest the alleged fraudster at his home.

CCIB officers raided Francois’s home yesterday, January 18 but he was not there. Officers found his Thai wife, Wachiraporn, and their daughter. Wachiraporn said her husband had just returned to France. Officers found evidence of the production of fake IDs, including a computer, printer and laminator.

Wachiraporn claimed that she knew nothing about her husband’s job. She only saw him teaching language to children at a foundation in the province adding that he managed to cover all of the family’s expenses.

Police investigated another suspect leading to the arrest of another Frenchman, 33 year old Jonathan, at his condominium in Chiang Mai province. Officers found that Jonathan’s financial transactions were linked to Francois. The two also ran language courses for children at the same foundation.

The arrest of Jonathan and the seizure of relevant evidence would be handed over to the French authorities to facilitate the search and arrest of Francois.

In the related foreigner arrests in Thailand, two Indian men were apprehended last week near Bangkok for illegally offering high-interest loans. Another foreign man was arrested in Bangkok in early January for sexually harassing Thai girls.

Meanwhile, a Russian man was arrested at Phuket International Airport in December last year for hiring a Kazakh man to shoot another Russian man in Phuket in June. Another Russian man was arrested the same month for assaulting a Thai man and smashing the victim’s car in Chon Buri province.