135 suspected scammers, including 22 Thais, arrested in Laos

Lao officials have arrested 135 suspected scammers of multiple nationalities, including 22 Thais, in a raid on a scam centre located in the International Trade Council building in the Bo Ten special economic zone of Luang Namtha province.

The Peace-keeping Command of Luang Namtha province announced yesterday the arrest of 82 Vietnamese, 21 Laotians, 22 Thais eight Chinese and two Cambodians.

The officials also seized 1,902 smart phones, 182 computers and eight vaults containing various currencies.

The command said that all the suspected scammers work for an organised transnational scam syndicate for which employees used numerous tricks to prey on victims across the region.

All the suspects were escorted to the command centre for questioning before facing charges. For the foreign nationals, their relevant governments will be notified of their arrests.