Eight South Korean nationals have been arrested in downtown Bangkok for allegedly operating a call centre scam.
The suspects, all aged between 26 and 31 years old, were arrested on Wednesday night after the Immigration Bureau received a tip-off about Korean men who were renting a room in an office building on Ekamai Soi 3, said Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nutchanart, the bureau’s deputy chief.
The fourth-floor room bore a sign saying “Content Factory. Korea & Thai.” Inside, police found 20 desktop computers, 40 monitors, 17 mobile phones and four tablet computers.
The eight suspects were found working on the computers, allegedly luring people into investing with “Hana Partners Investment Bank” via a fake website. Hana Financial Group is a major Korean financial services firm with many subsidiaries but none of then are named Hana Partners Investment Bank.
The suspects said they were hired to work in Thailand, persuading people through social media to invest in a fake fund. They were paid a commission if they could find victims.
Police initially charged them with working in Thailand without a permit. Police will examine their computers and then decide if the suspects should face more charges.
