Eight South Koreans and two Chinese nationals arrested in Bangkok scam raids

Thai and South Korean police arrested eight South Koreans and two Chinese nationals in Bangkok on Monday, October 19, in raids targeting an alleged scam network accused of impersonating prosecutors and defrauding South Korean victims.

Police estimated losses at more than 100 million baht, although the full amount remains under investigation. The Immigration Bureau said all 10 suspects had their visas revoked and remained in custody while investigators gathered evidence for proceedings under Thai law.

The joint operation covered three locations in the Lat Phrao–Huai Khwang, Watcharaphon–Chatuchot and Ratchada–Rama 9 areas. Thai immigration officers worked alongside South Korean police, with South Korea’s police consul in Thailand also taking part.

Alleged callers used forged arrest warrants

Investigators alleged that the suspects posed as South Korean government officials and senior prosecutors, threatening victims and sending forged arrest warrants and fabricated evidence purporting to implicate them in money laundering.

Police said the two Chinese suspects supervised or trained the South Korean callers. Their alleged roles remain part of the investigation.

The Immigration Bureau also alleged that the network used romance scams, developing relationships with targets before sending fraudulent links intended to steal money.

Officers seized computers, mobile phones and other equipment during the searches. Police said equipment was being used to contact and defraud victims when officers arrived.

Pol Lt Col Sittimon Soipooraya, an investigation inspector with the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division, said the suspects worked in separate zones and used telephone headsets. A caller could dial more than 50 numbers in an hour, he said.

September arrest led investigators to Bangkok houses

According to the Immigration Bureau, the joint investigation followed the September 4 arrest of a South Korean man for overstaying. He was wanted by South Korean authorities over alleged public fraud and was suspected of having links to online gambling.

Investigators traced the suspected network from an earlier base in Lat Phrao to a luxury house in Watcharaphon, in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district. The bureau said the group had rented that property from October 1 for 150,000 baht a month.

Police said the suspects had entered Thailand on tourist visas and that no criminal records or Interpol Red Notices appeared in the immigration system at the time of entry.

The bureau said Thai and South Korean investigators were coordinating to trace financial transactions and arrange the suspects’ transfer for prosecution through the relevant international procedures. Evidence gathering for proceedings in Thailand was continuing.

Warning signs for people receiving scam calls

The alleged use of official titles, threats and forged legal documents echoes tactics highlighted in a separate Thai police warning issued on October 13. In that announcement, officers cautioned against call-centre scammers who impersonate police and falsely claim that the person receiving the call is implicated in a criminal case.

Police reiterated that officers do not conduct interrogations or check money in bank accounts by telephone or video call. That warning is relevant to residents receiving calls that combine claims of official authority with demands involving their finances.

For the Bangkok case, the immediate focus remains establishing the scale of the losses, following the money trail and determining each suspect’s role in the alleged operation.