93 Thais deported from scam centres in Cambodia detained for questioning

The Criminal Court has ordered the detention of the 93 Thai nationals recently repatriated from Cambodia’s Poipet border town, pending the outcome of an investigation into their alleged involvement in scam activities.

The Thais could face multiple charges, including being members of a transnational criminal network, criminal association and defrauding the public, for working for scam centres in Cambodia.

Thai police claim that they all went to Cambodia voluntarily, to work in scam centres, because of the attractive financial rewards on offer. They were not forced to or detained by their Chinese employers.

According to police reports, the Thais worked in a three-storey building in Poipet within an enclosed compound with security guards. Entrance and exit requires permission.

All the Thais worked together in a call centre, targeting potential victims in Thailand by pretending to be officials of the Comptroller General’s Department, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority or the Provincial Electricity Authority.

The office was staffed by about 20 Thai nationals, under the supervision of a Chinese manager, named Lao Hu. Through an interpreter, Hu would teach them the tricks for duping their potential victims.

The training course took three days, during which they watched and listened to the ways veteran scammers did their jobs. They were then put to work in teams.

Police said that scammers of other nationalities, such as Indians, Vietnamese or Indonesians, also worked in the same building. Their monthly pay averaged 20,000 baht, but they actually received 10,000 baht, with the rest being deducted to cover the expenses for bringing them into Cambodia.

All the deported men have been detained in the Bangkok Remand Prison, while the women are in the Central Women’s Correctional Institution.