Thai call centre scam gang linked to family murder caught in Cambodia

Four Thai citizens were arrested in Cambodia for their involvement in a call centre scam network.

Supol Wongwian coordinated the call centre scam network’s operations, while the three young women, Nisarat Sukasem, Kanokporn Kraisuk, and Kornkanok Singthit, made calls to victims.

They are facing charges related to participating in a transnational crime syndicate, fraud, and computer crimes and will be deported to Thailand for legal proceedings.

Authorities confiscated mobile phones, ATM cards, bank books, and around 240,000 baht in cash from the suspects.

Deputy National Police Chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn revealed that among the four individuals apprehended in Poipet, Cambodia, they were part of a 30-member call centre scam gang. This gang’s actions led to a tragic incident in Samut Prakan where a man killed his 44 year old wife and two children, aged 9 and 13, on August 28 due to severe debt.

The man, 41 year old Sanit Dokmai, guaranteed a car purchase for someone, resulting in a debt of hundreds of thousands of baht. To alleviate their financial strain, his wife, 44 year old Wipaporn Racha, borrowed a significant amount through a money-lending app developed by the scammers, resulting in a 1.7 million baht fraud. This financial loss pushed the husband to commit the murder-suicide. Sanit survived and was taken to hospital with a deep slash across his neck and a cut wrist.

The chain of tragic events reportedly began when Sanit was asked by his employer to refinance a car. The employer failed to repay the loan and filed for bankruptcy, leaving Sanit responsible for the debt.

Out of the 30 members of the call centre scam network, 16 have been arrested, including the four in Poipet. These arrests include owners of proxy bank accounts, individuals responsible for cash withdrawals, keepers of the proxy account list, scammers, and two supervisors from China who remain at large, reported Bangkok Post.

Authorities are actively pursuing the remaining suspects, stated Big Joke.