Thai-Taiwanese phone scam gang busted in Manila

BANGKOK, June 15 (TNA) - A phone scam gang of three Taiwanese people and 16 Thai accomplices was arrested in Manila after they had tricked Thai people for tens of millions of baht. Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau, said Thai police together with Philippine immigration police conducted the raid at a luxury house in Alabang area on June 14. Authorities seized from the suspects computers, mobile phones, SIM cards, passbooks, lists of senior officials’ names and dialogue samples used with victims. The 16 Thai people were assigned to phone victims in Thailand. They recently lured a victim in Nonthaburi province into transferring nearly 2 million baht to the gang, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said. Pol Maj Gen Surachate also said the Thai suspects confessed and many of them claimed they had been lured into the business. They frequently flew between Thailand and the Philippines. The gang used electronic banking to facilitate its money withdrawal, he said. (TNA)