Recently, Thai police arrested a Thai man involved in a transnational tele-fraud case at a resort in Chuchai County, Helai Prefecture. The 37-year-old suspect, Vine (transliterated), is accused of participating in a telecom fraud gang, opening a large number of fake bank accounts for a Cambodian cybercrime group, and hiding in the country for a long time to avoid investigation.
According to the Thai Cybercrime Combat Department, the case originated from a report of investment fraud. Victims were deceived by false financial advertisements on Facebook, and funds were transferred into accounts controlled by the fraud gang. Investigations show that the amount involved in the case exceeds 3.8 million Thai Baht, involving a large number of victims.
The police followed the clues and identified Vine as one of the key operators. He was responsible for recruiting personnel in the Poipet area of Cambodia to open fake accounts, assist in completing facial verification, and provide app and operational technical guidance. According to his confession, since the end of 2023, he has been receiving a fixed salary of 15,000 Thai Baht per month, plus a commission of 1,000 Thai Baht per account, and has assisted in registering over 200 accounts to date.
To evade crackdowns, Vine had not returned to Thailand for two years. After Cambodia intensified its crackdown earlier this year, he sneaked back to Thailand through natural border passages and hid in a resort in Chuchai County, where he was eventually arrested by the police in a raid.
Currently, the police are further investigating his accomplices and the flow of funds, and will prosecute Vine for fraud, money laundering, and computer crimes, among other charges. The case is still under thorough investigation.
