Police nab South Korean 'call centre scammers' in Thailand

Immigration police arrested eight South Koreans allegedly running a call centre scam in Thailand.

Officers raided a luxury condominium believed to be a base of operations for the suspected scammers in the Ekkamai district of Bangkok on August 21.

Acting Police Colonel Thawatchai Narinrat of the Immigration Bureau said in a press conference on August 22 that eight men from Seoul, South Korea, were arrested.

They were named by police as Jae-suk, 26, Joon-hee, 31, Woo-jin, 27, Jay, 29, Sang-ki, 26, Sang-hoon, 26, Hoon-jin, 26, and Jung-hoon, 26.

The cops found and confiscated 17 phones, four Apple iPads, and a whiteboard with information on stocks and instructions on how to lure potential victims. 

A directory of names and phone numbers believed to have been obtained through the black market was also seized.

Investigations found that the alleged fraudsters began renting the room in July. They would reportedly call and trick South Koreans back home into investing in a fake bank.

The suspects allegedly admitted that they earned commissions based on how much money their victims transfer.

Jung-hoon was said to be the leader of the group, while the other members had entered Thailand on tourist visas and were staying in nearby towns. They rode a shuttle daily to work at the condo in Bangkok.

Police said they were co-ordinating with South Korean authorities to determine the extent of damages caused by the boiler room scheme.

Police Major General Panthana Nuchnarot, deputy commander of the Immigration Department, said: 'We believe there are more members involved because of the large number of computers and that this operation probably has bases in other countries as well.

'We have found travel records that indicate that some suspects have frequently traveled to neighboring countries. We will therefore coordinate with police forces in other countries to expand the investigation.'

The eight South Korean men, some of whom were wanted in their home country for fraud, were charged for working without a permit and had their visas revoked.