Korean and Chinese tourists were arrested as police cracked down on a transnational call centre scam network in Thailand.

The gang allegedly ran a pyramid scheme that defrauded victims of around 500 million baht (11.8 million GBP) from October 2024 to May 2025.

Cops launched coordinated raids following a tip-off from the South Korean Embassy that the syndicate, which had fled from neighbouring Cambodia, was operating out of Thailand.

Four suspects were arrested in 'Sin City' Pattaya for reportedly luring South Koreans into investing in a fake Malaysian resort project.

The raid led to two more crackdowns on condos in Bangkok's Phra Ram 3 and Lumpini areas, where 10 more Korean nationals and three Chinese suspects were detained.

Authorities said the condos had been converted into makeshift offices equipped with computers and Voice over Internet Protocol phones used to contact victims in South Korea.

The fraudsters were said to have impersonated South Korean prosecutors, bank workers, and government officials, to dupe victims into transferring money.

Officers seized more than 50 VoIP phones, 35 mobile phones, computers, forged documents, and scam scripts.

In a December 8 press conference, Police Lieutenant General Natthasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said 17 people were arrested.

They were identified as Korean nationals Joengmin Lee, 31, Intae Kim, 32, Takoon Ha, 38, Jiyul Kim, 32, Sunhan Eom, 34, Junyeop Kim, 28, Jesup Byeon, 33, Eunkyun Kim, 43, Sunggyun Kwon, 30, Yul Hong, 29, Muncheol Cho, 35, Taehwan Lim, 35, Jeongbeen Lee, 29, and Taegwon Lee, 27.

While the Chinese nationals were Mingzheng Liu, 29, Caihua Li, 43, and Linhu Che, 35.

The police chief said: 'Based on the examination of phone numbers and initial evidence, we have not found any connection with victims in Thailand.

‘Furthermore, we have coordinated with the Police Consular Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Thailand for information on this group's actions and offences, including the damage caused to South Korean civilians, to proceed with cooperation and take further action.'

Thailand has become a notorious base for crime gangs operating cross-border fraud and human trafficking operations in neighbouring Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

Thai authorities are working to crack down on the transnational crime rings.