PATTAYA, Thailand — Police in Thailand arrested a Chinese woman, Wu Di, in connection with a cryptocurrency scam that defrauded victims of over $17.7 million. During the raid, her boyfriend, Zhou Zongyon, was also apprehended. Zhou, who had been with Wu at the time of the arrest, is wanted in China for kidnapping a woman and demanding a ransom.
The arrest took place on March 19, 2025, when police raided Wu’s rented home in Pattaya, a popular tourist destination. Wu, 27, is believed to have orchestrated the cryptocurrency scam that involved tricking victims into investing in a fake fund. In one case, a Thai school teacher was lured by an attractive profile picture on Facebook, leading her to invest in a non-existent Singapore dollar fund. Initially, the teacher saw small returns but was unable to access her funds once she invested more money. Realizing she had been scammed, the teacher reported the incident to authorities. She lost approximately $44,311.
Further investigation revealed that Wu and her accomplices transferred the stolen funds to several bank accounts, which were held by Thai citizens. These “puppet accounts” were used to convert the money into cryptocurrency, which was then sent to a wallet in Cambodia registered under Wu Di’s name. Investigators linked her account to at least 63 other fraud cases, with total losses reaching over $18 million.
During the raid, police discovered evidence on Wu’s phone, including photos of her lavish lifestyle, large amounts of cash, and suspected drugs. The photos also showed her frequent travels between Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Wu denied the charges, claiming that her ex-boyfriend had set up the account to hide money for a criminal group, but authorities remained unconvinced.
Zhou Zongyon, 29, Wu’s boyfriend, was also arrested during the raid. He is wanted in China for allegedly kidnapping a woman in Cambodia, sending disturbing photos to her family, and demanding a $138,000 ransom. Zhou also admitted to entering Thailand illegally from Cambodia.
Along with Wu, four individuals who managed the puppet accounts were arrested. Three of them are currently facing charges related to the scam. Zhou is also being investigated for his potential role in laundering money for scam call centers.
