Cyber police arrested two Chinese nationals using a luxury condo in Pattaya as a base for a call center scam gang that defrauded victims through product investment and romance scams. Authorities are preparing to investigate further to identify accomplices.
On 30 Jan, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembutr, Commander of the Cyber Crime Division, along with Pol. Lt. Gen. Naradet Thiprak, Commander assigned to the Royal Thai Police Office, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Wiwat Khamchamnan, Deputy Commander of the Cyber Crime Division, ordered Pol. Maj. Gen. Kritchay Bamrungrattanayot, Commander of Cyber Crime Division 4, and Pol. Col. Supakorn Thanyakam, Deputy Commander of Cyber Crime Division 4, to coordinate a joint operation with cyber police and Immigration Investigation Unit 3. They executed Pattaya Provincial Court search warrant No. 29/2569 to search a 6th-floor unit in a luxury condo located in Moo 12, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. They arrested Mr. Liu Meng, 39, and Mr. Shao Zhong, 49, both Chinese nationals, seizing 103,400 baht in cash, 26 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 1 internet router, and 4 notebooks containing records.
The Cyber Crime Division 4 investigation team received information that Chinese nationals had secretly established an operation base involved in scams related to call center gangs or communication farms to hack OTP codes for various online fraud schemes in Pattaya, Chonburi.
Gathering evidence, police obtained court approval to search the targeted unit, where two Chinese men, Mr. Liu Meng and Mr. Shao Zhong, were found residing. Numerous mobile phones were scattered around the room, with Chinese-language chat notifications appearing intermittently on the Telegram app.
Upon interrogation, both men denied ownership of the phones and did not provide access codes. However, they admitted the devices were used to deceive fellow Chinese through product investment scams and romance scams. They claimed that stolen funds were transferred directly to the main Chinese boss’s account. Nonetheless, investigators remain skeptical due to inconsistencies between their statements and detailed intelligence. The phones will be examined using specialized cyber police tools to verify digital evidence.
Authorities plan to extend investigations to identify accomplices and connections to other involved groups, aiming to compile evidence to prosecute the entire network of technology crimes. They are also tracing financial transactions to seize assets acquired from illegal activities.
Initially, Mr. Liu Meng was charged with overstaying his visa by 260 days, while Mr. Shao Zhong was charged with failing to report a change of residence under Section 37. Both are in custody pending further legal proceedings.