Recently, the Thai government has been continuously active in combating telecommunications fraud, striving to thoroughly rectify the domestic criminal chain of fraud. In the latest cabinet meeting, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced a series of tough measures, demanding strengthened border management with neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Laos, with a focus on cracking down on transnational fraud gangs mainly composed of Chinese nationals.
It's not just talk; the Thai government also plans to build walls at the borders and deploy X-ray detection equipment to prevent fraudsters from illegally entering and exiting the country.
In addition to the high-pressure stance at the policy level, the Thai police have also been continuously carrying out raids in various popular cities recently. Just in the past week, numerous cases involving Chinese nationals in telecommunications fraud and online gambling have been cracked nationwide, with a large number of suspects arrested.
Thai Police Break Fraud Dens, Chinese Nationals Continuously Arrested
On February 28, the Technical Crime Suppression Center of the Fifth Region Police Bureau, in collaboration with multiple departments, launched a raid in Chiang Rai Province, successfully arresting 9 Chinese nationals and 1 Thai national. These individuals were accused of engaging in online fraud using illegal means, some of whom had illegally entered Thailand, while others held expired student visas and had overstayed. A large amount of electronic equipment was seized, and preliminary investigations showed that these devices were used for fraudulent operations involving multiple scam websites.
On the same day, the Chiang Mai police also raided several suspected locations. In the San Kamphaeng area, a residential house was found to be a hub for online gambling. A 25-year-old Chinese national was arrested, and computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices were found at his residence. After data forensics, the police discovered that this man was soliciting gamblers on the "Wepoker" platform, using VPNs to disguise IP addresses, making gamblers believe they were operating within China, thus avoiding Chinese police surveillance. The police have formally charged the suspect and seized all electronic devices used for the crime.
Besides the northern region, Pattaya, a tourist hotspot in eastern Thailand, is also a gathering place for fraud gangs. On February 24, the Thai Immigration Bureau, Chonburi Provincial Police, and Tourist Police jointly conducted an investigation and raided a high-end residential area in Bang Lamung County. The police found that a group of Chinese nationals residing there were suspected of engaging in illegal financial fraud and online gambling activities. The case is still under investigation, and more suspects may be apprehended.
A Thousand Apartments Become "Fraud Headquarters"? Industry Tycoons Want to Make a Comeback!
The Thai government's high-pressure crackdown has forced fraud gangs to hide, but at the same time, some "industry tycoons" are unwilling to remain silent and have even rented a large number of properties in Thailand, attempting to rise again!
Recently, a shocking news has been circulating in the market: an "industry tycoon" in Thailand has spent a huge sum of money to rent 1000 apartments at a starting monthly rent of 20,000 Thai Baht each, intending to create a massive "work base." This move has led people to speculate whether a new gray industry chain is quietly rising in Thailand?
According to insiders, these apartments have been meticulously remodeled, with complete internal facilities, each room equipped with high-speed internet, independent computer equipment, and round-the-clock security systems, essentially a "fraud factory." From the scale, it is not just for small-scale fraud operations, but a complete underground industry chain!
It is reported that the tenants living in these apartments said that these apartments will be used for "telecommunications business." However, undercover investigations by Thai media reporters found that many Chinese people were entering and exiting the area, and these tenants hardly ever went out, except to pick up takeout and shop at nearby convenience stores. Their movements are very suspicious. The property management was so frightened that they quickly added more staff to closely monitor these tenants' activities and also notified the local police and immigration police.
According to netizens, this method of renting apartments for office work was personally ordered by the boss! It's definitely some gray industry tycoon wanting to stir up business and make a comeback!
It is worth noting that in recent years, Southeast Asia has become a hotbed for telecommunications fraud, with fraud groups frequently changing their bases to avoid crackdowns. From Cambodia to Myanmar, and now to Thailand, fraudsters continue to shift their bases, and Thailand, with its convenient transportation, lower regulatory thresholds, and more developed infrastructure, has become their new target.
Not only the recent event of renting 1000 apartments, but even earlier, many rental properties in Thailand had issues. In Bangkok, many apartments in the city center were bought by Chinese nationals, but they provided illegal daily rentals to foreign tourists, disturbing other owners, creating noise in the apartments, smoking marijuana, and damaging public property. In some cases, the rented apartments were even used as venues for shooting content similar to "OnlyFans" pornography. It's just a "den of iniquity"!
And these landlords are very shrewd, hiding key boxes with password locks around the apartments to evade legal scrutiny, making it impossible for the police to verify who took the apartment keys and who stayed in the apartments.
In Chiang Mai, a significant portion of the rental properties on the Airbnb platform are privately transformed by homeowners. They rent out the houses to foreigners, resulting in complaints from neighbors about some Chinese tourists who speak loudly and smoke indoors, and some tourists from other countries who often smoke marijuana inside, severely affecting the lives of those around them.
Industry insiders analyze that despite the Thai government's intensified crackdown, fraud groups are still looking for new survival spaces. These criminals, with substantial funds, can easily rent a large number of properties and use fake identities to evade police tracking.
Or, they may have reached secret agreements with some landlords or real estate developers to secure long-term footholds!
The Thai Government is Fully Prepared, How Long Can Fraud Sustain?
Facing these new trends, the Thai government has realized the severity of the problem and has taken even stricter measures. In addition to strengthening border control, the police have also cooperated with multiple countries to track the flow of fraud funds and strengthen the monitoring of suspicious properties. In the future, Thailand's rental housing market may face stricter scrutiny mechanisms to prevent fraud groups from forming large-scale operations again.
Moreover, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya are not remote rural areas; it's not difficult to find out the owners of the houses!
According to expatriates in Thailand: Thais, like Filipinos, like to report! Expatriates "struggling" in Thailand should be careful not to be targeted by locals.
The most important thing is that the entire Southeast Asia is currently in a trend of cracking down on telecommunications fraud, and with Thailand pushing for the legalization of gambling, Thai people and the media are highly concerned about this issue, also demanding the government to further intensify law enforcement efforts. Thus, these illegal and covert telecommunications fraud activities are something the Thai government is determined to crack down on!
However, as the saying goes, "For every clever move, there is a countermove." Despite the frequent crackdowns on fraud gangs in Thailand, the bosses are still looking for new ways to evade legal sanctions. It remains to be seen how long they can remain arrogant under the Thai government's high-pressure stance.
The answer to this question may soon be revealed.
Those who dream of "recreating glory" among the fraud tycoons may soon face their end...
