Immigration Police Division 3’s investigation team arrested a Chinese man who developed Deepfake software to impersonate victims and steal cryptocurrency worth over 162 million baht after fleeing prosecution and entering Thailand on a tourist visa.
On 9 Sep 2024, Pol. Lt. Gen. Panumas Boonlakham, Commander of the Immigration Police, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Panthana Nuchnarat, Deputy Commander, ordered Pol. Maj. Gen. Songprod Sirisukha, Commander of Immigration Division 3, Pol. Col. Suriya Puangsomboon, Chief of Investigation Division, and his team to arrest Mr. Xin Zhang, 30, a Chinese national wanted by the Chinese government for digital currency theft causing losses of over 162 million baht.
Pol. Col. Prinya Klinkesorn, Deputy Commander of Immigration Division 3, said the arrest followed a tip-off that Mr. Xin Zhang was a major suspect wanted by Chinese authorities. The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department issued an arrest warrant in 2025 for theft involving a victim whose USDT coins worth approximately 4.707 million USDT, or about 33 million yuan (around 162 million baht), were transferred out of their OKX crypto trading account.
Chinese authorities stated that the suspect was the mastermind behind the AI Face Swap technology, or deepfake face forgery. Along with at least three accomplices, he hacked OKX accounts and victims’ phone number data. Using face-swapping technology with camera software he developed himself, he impersonated victims to report lost SIM cards and request replacements. This allowed him to receive OTP codes via SMS, control accounts, and transfer all digital assets in just seconds.
He fled prosecution and entered Thailand in July 2024 on a tourist visa, then went into hiding. Authorities tracked him down to Pattaya, Chonburi Province, and arrested him on 8 September.
Initially, authorities detained Mr. Xin Zhang for overstaying his visa before handing him over to Pattaya Police Station for prosecution. They will coordinate with the Chinese embassy in Thailand to proceed with his deportation and extradition.