Thailand's cyber police recently cracked a major automated online gambling case, shutting down the illegal platform named "Auto.finfinblox" and arresting 3 core suspects. The platform had over 4000 members, with monthly financial transactions ranging from 5 to 7 million Thai Baht. Related cross-border online gambling crackdown cases can be found on the PASA official website.
Case Spotlight: Automated Operations + Extensive Client Recruitment
On the afternoon of January 15, the Department of Cyber Crime Investigation Police in Thailand held a press conference in Nonthaburi Province to report on the case. The gambling platform, launched at the end of 2024, is characterized by its fully automated system for handling player deposits and withdrawals, requiring no human intervention and significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
To rapidly expand its customer base, the gang extensively advertised online, targeting various potential gamblers. In a short period, they developed over 4000 members, forming a complete underground industry chain of "promotion - registration - betting - withdrawal". The police simultaneously acted in Nonthaburi Province and Pathum Thani Province, seizing a large amount of electronic evidence such as computers and mobile phones, and controlling the website administrators, advertising promoters, and withdrawal "runners" - 3 core personnel on the spot.
Three-Tier Structure Revealed: A Well-Organized Underground Network
The gambling group's organizational structure is very clear, with each layer ensuring illegal operations:
Front-end account layer: Specifically handles player deposits and withdrawals, interfaces with various payment channels, and hides the real direction of funds;
Platform operation layer: Managed by administrators who maintain platform operations, handle customer service inquiries, and solve technical issues;
Funds withdrawal layer: Withdrawal "runners" drive daily to different ATMs to withdraw cash, each time taking out 50,000 to 70,000 Thai Baht, which is then handed over to other personnel for transfer, forming a covert closed loop.
This division of labor makes the group's operations efficient and difficult to trace, and it has become a key breakthrough point for the police crackdown.
Covert Fund Flows: ATM Dispersed Withdrawals to Evade Supervision
To avoid police tracking, the group went to great lengths in their fund transfers. Withdrawal "runners" shuttle between multiple ATMs daily, adopting a "small amount, multiple times" approach to extract illegal profits, controlling each withdrawal amount to 50,000 to 70,000 Thai Baht to avoid triggering regulatory alerts.
The withdrawn cash is quickly handed over to other personnel, and after several handovers, it is "laundered". The entire financial chain is covert and dispersed, posing significant challenges to the initial investigation. However, by tracking the flow of funds and electronic evidence, the police eventually pinpointed the core personnel's movements.
Police Accountability: Multiple Serious Charges + Expanded Investigation
Facing interrogation, the 3 suspects initially admitted to participating in platform operations, including customer service communication, advertising placement, and gambling fund withdrawals. The police have now charged them with multiple serious crimes, including illegal organization and promotion of online gambling, lending bank accounts and electronic payment tools, assisting in cybercrime, and money laundering.
The police also revealed that they have identified at least 5 other associated individuals and are continuing to expand their investigation. They emphasized that online gambling is often linked with fraud, money laundering, and other transnational crimes. In the future, they will increase their efforts in technological investigations to cut off the underground financial chain and prevent illegal gambling from resurging under the guise of "technological packaging".
————
This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader", a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
