Cyber police arrested "money mule" accounts linked to a call center gang claiming to represent a government agency. They deceived retired teachers into transferring hundreds of thousands of baht. During interrogation, suspects admitted to five instances, receiving 2,000 baht per transaction. A Chinese boss is believed to be behind the operation.
On 9 June 2026, 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. Kritsaya Bamrungrattanayot, Commander of Cyber Crime Division 4, ordered Pol. Col. Puttipat Phanomchaijirakul, Superintendent of Division 4, along with deputies Pol. Lt. Col. Chaipat Chuesai and Pol. Lt. Col. Wisut Krutchun, and Pol. Lt. Col. Anat Khemthong of the same division to take action.
They led a raid to arrest Mr. Worachat Wongschim, 46, from Bangkok, wanted under Chiang Mai Provincial Court warrant number 1334/2566, and Ms. Natkan Yosma, 27, from Nakhon Nayok Province, wanted under warrant number 1335/2566 issued by the same court.
They are charged with "collaborative fraud by impersonating others, and fraudulently inputting false or fabricated data into computer systems that could cause damage to the public."
In January, a female victim, a retired teacher from Chiang Mai Province, received a call from scammers claiming to be officials from the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel (OTEP). They contacted her to offer a funeral assistance payment of 2,000 baht and asked her to add a Line account named "Office OTEP." The scammers then conversed via the Line app in the Northern Thai dialect in a familiar manner.
The victim believed she was dealing with genuine OTEP officials. She was instructed to access her banking app and switch the language to English—a step she found confusing. The scammers claimed that without this language change, the payment system linked to the "Office OTEP" Line account would not function.
Following their instructions, the victim unknowingly transferred funds out of her bank account. Upon receiving a transfer slip, she discovered 123,828 baht had been withdrawn. Realizing she had been scammed, she immediately called the hotline 1441 and filed a police report at Chiang Dao Police Station in Chiang Mai to pursue legal action against the fraudsters.
Subsequent investigation by the Cyber Crime Division 4 uncovered evidence linking the suspects to the call center gang responsible. Mr. Worachat was identified as the "money mule" account holder, and Ms. Natkan as the person withdrawing cash at ATMs. After gathering evidence, authorities obtained arrest warrants and apprehended Mr. Worachat at his home in Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, and Ms. Natkan at a company parking lot in Khlong Si Subdistrict, Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani Province.
In initial questioning, Mr. Worachat admitted receiving 2,000 baht per money transfer transaction. Ms. Natkan claimed she was contacted to provide bank accounts to receive money transfers from gambling websites and was only responsible for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
They confessed to conducting five such transactions, each earning 2,000 baht. A Chinese boss reportedly waited to collect cash at the ATM location after each withdrawal. They were unaware that the funds were obtained through scams by the call center gang. Both suspects have been detained pending further legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatchapundakan Khlayklung, Deputy Commander of the Cyber Crime Division, warned retired former government officials to be cautious. Scammers commonly impersonate officials from various government agencies to deceive retired individuals into transferring money.
He emphasized that retired teachers have been frequent victims and urged everyone to be vigilant. If contacted regarding any financial transactions, they should carefully consider the situation before acting to protect themselves from fraud.