Thailand's Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) is investigating foreigners who use elite visas to engage in criminal activities. The issue came to light after CIB discovered that a Chinese suspect was using an elite visa (Thai privilege card) to reside in Thailand and launder money for a call center fraud ring.
In an interview with the Bangkok Post, CIB Commissioner Lt. Gen. Jirabhop Bhuridej said, "Chen Yon Lai is a key figure in laundering money for illegal fraud gangs in the region. "Mr. Chen, 52, was arrested on April 28 at a mansion in Bangkok's Phasi Charoen district.
On the same day, police also arrested a Thai member of the gang at his home in the eastern province, identifying only Anan, 44. During the raid, the police seized 11 million baht in cash, two computers, 7 mobile phones, 8 bank accounts, 13 payment cards, 5 cars and other property with a total value of about 42 million baht.
Police found that Mr. Chan was managing a digital wallet worth about 70 billion baht. The arrest of the suspect is the result of an expanded investigation, and last year police arrested five members of a call center gang. The gang created a fake website to scam people. The police continued to investigate and found Mr. Chen, Anan and many other people involved in the case.
They are responsible for managing digital wallets used for illegal transactions and converting digital assets into cash. Police then raided eight premises and arrested multiple suspects: four in Bangkok, two in Samut Prakan, two in Chachoengsao and one in Nakhon Ratchasima. Five other persons linked to the two defendants were also questioned.
Mr. Tan and Mr. Anan were charged with conspiracy to commit public fraud and transnational crime, the introduction of false information into computer systems and money laundering. They deny all allegations. After checking Mr. Chen's phone, the police obtained evidence that he was using an app to manage a large number of digital wallets on behalf of a Cambodian call center gang.
"Mr. Chen is a key figure in the gang because he needs to convert digital currency into cash," Lieutenant General Girabhope said. He added that Mr. Chan lived in a luxury house and that he hired a Thai nominee to buy several properties with cash, such as the two-story house he lived in at the time of his arrest, land, cars, jewellery and other valuables.
Police also found that Mr. Tan had a five-year visa because he was a member of the Thailand Privilege Card Scheme, formerly known as the Thailand Elite Card. "We are focusing on criminals who enter the country on a Thai Privilege Card visa. It is known that criminals use such visas to enter Thailand to facilitate their entry and exit from the country. Jirabupu said.
He clarified that the Thailand Elite Card is issued by Thailand Privilege Card Co., Ltd., which is regulated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Immigration officials can only check the validity of the card and can enter the country if the holder is not blacklisted. "Effective measures need to be taken to prevent these criminals from abusing this privilege.
The exchange of information between the parties is one of the measures that should be taken. The financial background of the person concerned should also be verified before being able to benefit from the privilege card. He said. On the day of Mr. Chen's arrest, the police also found his Chinese wife and three children with Thai nationality. The police said his children were Thai because Mr. Tan granted Thai citizenship by allowing his wife to register her marriage with a Thai man and allowing the man to be the legal father of the children.
When asked why Mr. Chan used Thailand as a base for money laundering, Jirabupu said it was because the country had resources to help foreigners live comfortably, such as hospitals and international schools. He added that doing business in the country is easy. "Our system makes it easy for anyone to do business, which creates a loophole for criminals who use Thailand as a money laundering base," he said.
According to him, Mr. Chan used a non-custodial wallet to exchange digital currencies for Thai baht and yuan. He was able to quickly withdraw funds from this wallet and transfer them to other mule accounts operated by the Cambodian call center gang. The police will continue their investigation to find other members of the gang.
"We believe that many members of the gang are still hiding in Thailand, China and Cambodia," he said. In addition to apprehending criminals, CIB also operates the Online Fraud Operations Center (AOC), a one-stop service center for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to address technology-related crimes. Especially online scams and scams.
Citizens can file a complaint with the AOC through the thaipoliceonline.go.th or by calling the hotline 1441. He said the AOC employs a combination of offensive and defensive tactics, such as tracking illegal financial transactions and blocking illegal websites or fraudulent pages.
Since its inception last November, AOC has blocked more than 5,000 website URLs and tracked and arrested countless call center gang network members. However, many people still fall victim to call center gang scams. To prevent further harm, AOC works with the Bank of Thailand to monitor suspicious bank accounts and freeze suspicious financial transactions.
This cooperation helps to avoid many losses in real time. When the police tracked down, the call center scammers changed tactics and switched to cryptocurrency. That's why CIB is currently working with banks, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and digital asset operators to develop strategies to avoid similar incidents in the future.