Police around Asia detain hundreds of suspects in raids busting Internet phone money scam

Thursday, June 9, 2011
AP

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Police in Cambodia and other Asian countries arrested several hundred suspects Thursday in coordinated raids to bust a gang that swindled victims through phone calls over the Internet.

Cambodian national police spokesman Lt. Gen. Kiet Chantharith said 166 Chinese and a Vietnamese woman were arrested nationwide, while similar arrests took place in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Police in Taiwan, Indonesia and Thailand confirmed making arrests but provided few details. A spokesman for Malaysia’s Federal Police said he was unaware of any operation, though Kiet said 37 people were arrested there.

Police Maj. Gen. Panya Mamen of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau said in Bangkok that gang members based in Thailand obtained details of banking and credit card accounts, and used the information to trick victims they phoned in other countries into transferring money, which ended up in Taiwan.

It was not clear what charges would be pressed in any of the countries. Cross-border crime is difficult to prosecute, and laws are hazy concerning crimes conducted over the Internet.

Kiet said those arrested had entered Cambodia as tourists and businessmen but then began operating their scheme to call people outside Cambodia over Internet phone services. He said the gang was well organized, and that Cambodia had received complaints from several victims.

He did not describe the scam in detail, but Thai authorities say gang members placed calls to victims in the guise of being from their bank, using information about their accounts to support their credibility, and then convincing them that there was a need to transfer their funds. The tricksters apparently used Internet-based phone services and mimicked calls from the victim’s home country.

Thailand’s Panya said four Thai nationals were arrested in seven provinces and two Taiwanese had been arrested Tuesday in connection with the same scheme. He said the raids were carried out at 9 a.m. Thai time in Thailand, Taiwan, China, Cambodia and Indonesia. It was not clear if anyone had been arrested in China.

An official with Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said Taiwan has arrested more than 100 people allegedly involved in several fraud rings who are likely accomplices to those arrested in Cambodia. Cambodia’s Kiet had put the number at 141.

The suspects are still being questioned and their arrests may be announced later, said the official, requesting anonymity because he’s not an authorized spokesman.

Indonesian police said they arrested 30 Taiwanese and Chinese in Serpong, a town in Banten province, on the southern outskirts of the capital Jakarta. Cambodian police had claimed 130 people were arrested in Indonesia.

Serpong police chief Maj. Heribertus Omposunggu said the suspects were believed to have swindled their victims using the Internet and mobile phone text messages.

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Thanyarat Doksone and Grant Peck in Bangkok, Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Annie Huang in Taipei and Sean Yoong in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.