Cyber police have dismantled a Vietnamese call center gang that tricked Thai victims into transferring money before laundering it through gold, seizing over 27 baht of gold bars. Authorities estimate there are many more victims.
At 13:00 on 31 July 2026, at the Technology Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Muang Thong Thani, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembutr, commander of the division, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatpandakan Klaiklueng, deputy commander, Pol. Maj. Gen. Kantapong Chairungruang, deputy police commissioner assisting the division, Pol. Col. Pongnarin Laokhetkit, deputy commander of Division 3, and Pol. Col. Lakpakorn Lukrak, chief of Division 3, jointly announced the bust of a Vietnamese money laundering gang using gold, which defrauded Thai victims of over 12 million baht and resulted in the seizure of more than 27 baht of gold bars.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol explained that the case began on 9 July 2026 when a 61-year-old man from Nakhon Ratchasima Province received a call from criminals posing as Provincial Electricity Authority officers. They claimed there was a problem with the transformer at his home requiring replacement and that he needed to apply for a refund of the deposit for the old transformer. The scammers instructed the victim to add them on LINE for detailed chat, then switched to a video call and sent a QR Code for the victim to scan to access the system.
The criminals instructed the victim to open his banking app and tricked him into switching the menu to English, although the victim had limited English skills. Following the scammers’ step-by-step instructions, the victim received an OTP on his phone and was told to provide it, claiming it was a queue number for the refund. Consequently, the victim’s bank app balance was transferred out in three transactions totaling 1,799,400 baht before he reported the fraud to cyber police for investigation.
Later, Pol. Maj. Gen. Kantapong Chairungruang, deputy police commissioner assisting the division and head of the investigative team, along with experts Pol. Maj. Gen. Kittisak Tiangkamon and Pol. Maj. Gen. Komkrit Sukthai, and Pol. Col. Lakpakorn Lukrak, with the investigative team of Division 3, traced the victim’s money to mule accounts held by a legal entity named Rungrueng Srimongkol Limited Partnership and a bank account under the name of Ms. Naritsara Banphokot.
On the same day, Ms. Naritsara withdrew cash at a bank counter inside a well-known shopping mall in Rangsit, then passed the money to another man who forwarded it to other gang members. Additionally, accounts under Rungrueng Srimongkol Limited Partnership transferred funds 22 times totaling over 5 million baht to purchase 72 baht of gold bars at a gold shop in Sam Phran District, Nakhon Pathom Province.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Kantapong said investigations found that three Thai individuals and three Vietnamese collaborators were involved in buying and receiving the gold bars. The gang then sold some gold bars at a gold shop inside a shopping mall in Talad Khwan Subdistrict, Mueang District, Nonthaburi, earning over 4 million baht in cash.
Investigators also found that the Vietnamese gang was linked to similar scams involving 18 Thai victims, with total damages amounting to about 12,628,359 baht. Authorities believe many more victims have not yet reported. A Vietnamese ringleader commands both Vietnamese and Thai members who withdraw money, buy gold, and resell it.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Kantapong added that the investigation revealed the gang operated systematically with assigned roles, converting cash into gold and then selling the gold back into cash to create complex financial trails that are difficult to trace. Investigators gathered evidence and obtained arrest warrants from the Criminal Court for seven individuals involved in the gang.
Investigators received information that on the evening of 25 July 2026, the Vietnamese gang planned to sell gold bars at the same gold shop in Nonthaburi. Police set up surveillance around the area and arrested two suspects: Mr. Nguyen Dinh Sang, 29, and his girlfriend Ms. Thi Thuy Dung Trinh, 25, both Vietnamese nationals and key figures in the gang. They seized 14 gold bars weighing 27.5 baht valued over 1.7 million baht, 66,500 baht in cash, three mobile phones, and two passenger cars.
Subsequently, the investigation team arrested three more accomplices: Ms. Naritsara Banphokot, 32, from Bangkok, who opened accounts for money transfers and withdrew cash, detained in Lat Krabang District, Bangkok; Mr. Sitthichat Buakhao, 29, from Rayong Province; and Ms. Wasupas Thamwat, 34, from Rayong Province, his girlfriend, responsible for selling gold and delivering cash to other gang members, arrested while hiding in a hotel in Noen Phra Subdistrict, Mueang District, Rayong Province.
From this operation, police have arrested five suspects, both Vietnamese and Thai, named in arrest warrants. Two more suspects remain at large and are being pursued.
All suspects face charges including "conspiracy to steal property by impersonating an official or receiving stolen goods," "unauthorized access to a computer system with protective measures," "obstructing or disrupting the operation of another's computer system causing damage to property," and "fraud by impersonation."
Investigators continue to expand the probe to identify additional involved parties and have seized related assets to proceed with legal action.