A Chinese national and four Thais have been arrested for their alleged links to a company in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district that is accused of using Thai proxies as fake shareholders while the real owner is Chinese.
The five suspects were nabbed when police from Thailand's Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression Center (Tactics) searched Jin Hao Tai International Trade Co, Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, the acting chief of the Immigration Bureau, said yesterday.
The company sold dried fruit, bird nests and rubber pillows, and used Thais as fake shareholders.
"The Thais acted as nominees for the foreign investor, an economic crime that affects Thai people," Pol Maj Gen Surachate said, adding the offenders ran afoul of the Foreign Business Act.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate, who also serves as the deputy director of Tactics, was briefing the media on the results of a series of crackdowns.
He said that over the last week as many as 16 people had been arrested in connection with a romance scam while another four had been busted for call centre fraud. All of the offenders are Thai.
Officers have since returned the swindled money to two of the people who were allegedly duped by both networks.
The first victim in Samut Prakan got taken for 400,165 baht by the call centre gang. Officers were able to freeze and recoup 190,000 baht of this.
Another victim in Khon Kaen was defrauded out of 256,000 baht by the romance scam syndicate. All of the sum has now been frozen, police said.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate said the Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), financial institutes and Royal Thai Police are working tirelessly to tackle fraud gangs.
Those who think they have been cheated can contact Amlo seven days a week by calling 1710, he said.
Officers have also apprehended two Thais for allegedly sexually abusing young boys in Pattaya, he added.
After being alerted to what was happening, police raided their room and seized their phones, tablets and computers.
In a separate case, an Austrian man has been apprehended in Chiang Mai after police found troves of child pornography on his devices.
