A RAID on two luxury pool villas in Pattaya led to the arrest of 13 Chinese and Korean suspects on charges of running a call centre operation scamming people by selling fake products and package tours, TV Channel 7 said this evening (Dec. 13).
Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchai Jindakhonsong, commander of Chonburi provincial police, and his team got warrants from Pattaya Provincial Court to search the two posh villas in Chaiyapruek Jomtien area of Pattaya after being tipped off that foreign grey business people had set up a base there to run call centre operation.
In this raid police arrested 13 Chinese and Koreans, both men and women, and seized 30 computers, 30 mobile phones, and 30 landline phones. By going through the computers police found chats in both Chinese and Korean languages deceiving victims. This was taken for further investigation of their networks.
Chonburi police had been informed that many foreigners had rented pool villas in this area and lived in groups without leaving their homes. Investigation also showed that their electricity bills reached tens of thousands of baht each month.
It was later discovered that this foreign gang were deceiving people by selling fake products and package tours causing huge damage with the cash circulation being investigated. It is estimated that the damage reached tens of millions of baht.
The money this gang raked in was converted to digital currency and this too is being probed.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Thawatchakiat said this is a different call centre gang and not part of a previous one which had been smashed only that they had rented the same pool villa to run their swindle.
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Chonburi police raiding one of two pool villas where Chinese and Korean call centre suspects were rounded up. Photo: TV Channel 7
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