In a significant move against cross-border fraud, Thai security officials have arrested a man and seized a large quantity of electronic devices linked to a call centre scam network operating near the Thai-Myanmar border.
The arrest took place in Mae Ramat district, Tak province, a region notorious for illicit activities. According to the Bangkok Post, a coordinated effort by soldiers from the Ratchamanu Task Force, border patrol police, and administrative officials led to the interception of a suspicious vehicle transporting mobile phones, SIM cards, and computers.
During a routine checkpoint operation on Saturday, officials stopped a Toyota pickup truck in Tambon Mae Ramat. A search revealed 1,251 mobile phones, 274 SIM cards, and 19 computers, all believed to be connected to scam operations.
The driver, identified as 45-year-old Tid, admitted that he had been hired for 5,000 baht (around $200) to collect and transport the items. He disclosed that he had picked them up from a location near the Moei River in Bann Nam Dib Bon Warn village in Mae Ramat district and was instructed to deliver them via a private parcel service to a recipient in Watthana Nakhon district, Sa Kaeo province, near the Cambodian border.
Col. Natthakorn Ruantip, commander of the Ratchamanu Task Force, revealed that initial investigations linked the electronic devices to a call-centre scam network based in Myawaddy, Myanmar, just across the border from Mae Sot in Tak province. Myawaddy is known as a hotspot for illicit online fraud operations.
Authorities suspect that the network was preparing to relocate its operations to Cambodia, specifically to an area near Sa Kaeo province, in an effort to evade growing law enforcement pressure in Myanmar and Thailand. The investigation is ongoing as officials work to identify other individuals involved in the scam.
Tid is currently being held at Mae Ramat police station for further questioning and legal procedures. This seizure of electronic devices is a significant step in Thailand’s ongoing efforts to combat transnational fraud networks exploiting vulnerable individuals through online scams, particularly in border regions.
