Police have arrested six people linked to a massive call center scam gang known as “Lock Star” in a series of coordinated raids across multiple locations in Thailand. The suspects, including two Chinese nationals and four Thai individuals, are accused of defrauding victims by promoting a fake digital currency investment app.
The two Chinese suspects have been identified as Gao Zhivei, 29, and Chen Jue, 28. The Thai suspects, who face various charges, include Thanchote, 33, Chanatthiya, 33, Siva, 33, and Cholada, 27. They have been charged with illegal assembly, public fraud, colluding in a transnational crime syndicate, putting false information into a computer system, and money laundering.
The scam operated by convincing victims to invest in a digital currency application called Tidex, which falsely promised high returns. Victims transferred funds into the app, only to find they were unable to withdraw the money. The fraudsters claimed that tax issues prevented withdrawals, further prompting victims to invest additional money.
As part of the investigation, police seized assets valued at over 30 million baht, including a luxury house worth 12 million baht, two cars, motorcycles, cash, gold necklaces, luxury watches, and various digital currencies. Investigators believe the scammers transferred the funds into private wallets before converting them into Thai baht to avoid detection.
The arrests follow multiple reports from victims who had been tricked into transferring substantial amounts of money into the fake app. The police operation successfully dismantled the fraud syndicate and seized critical evidence from the suspects’ locations.