Bangkok immigration police raided an office on Sukhumvit Soi 13 on July 5 and arrested 15 foreigners who allegedly swindled investors with a fake investment scheme, Pattaya Daily News reported.
Pol. Maj. Gen. PreechaThimamontree, commissioner of Investigation Division of Immigration Bureau Office, said that the gang may have embezzled up to EUR8 million (THB320 million) from gullible investors in Europe and the U.S. Police arrested 6 Britons, 3 Filipinos, 2 Americans, 2 Romanians, a German, and a South African. Evidence including 16 telephones, computers, photocopiers, printers, and “internet connection tools” were also seized from the Sukhumvit building.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Preecha said that the gang would call potential “investors” claiming to be stockbrokers and convince them to invest in “stocks” that would make a 95% return. Suckers who fell for the scam would then be told to transfer money to a bank in Switzerland, to make the ruse more convincing. The funds would later be transferred to Malaysia and then to Thailand. The gang worked from 1pm to midnight to better match time zones in Europe and the U.S.
Those arrested claimed that they earned 25% commission on successful scams. They were brought into the police station for questioning.
