Thai, Cambodian police to continue crackdown on call-centre scammers

Thai authorities have committed to unwavering cooperation with their Cambodian counterparts in taking severe legal action against Thai nationals involved in cross-border scam operations, after high-level bilateral discussions in Cambodia.

Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, Thailand's National Police Inspector General, announced on Saturday that both countries have agreed to intensify their efforts to prosecute Thai citizens who establish fraudulent call centres in Cambodia, emphasising that such wrongdoing will face the full force of the law.

"We will proceed with strict legal measures against any Thai national who engages in these criminal activities," Thatchai said at a press conference. "This commitment includes prosecuting them under transnational-organised-crime statutes with penalties of up to 15 years’ imprisonment, regardless of any claims they might make about being trafficking victims themselves."

The two-day discussions on March 13-14 involved Cambodia's National Police, Immigration Bureau and National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, focusing on evidence-gathering and information exchange about Thai scam networks operating illegally in Cambodia.

Thai authorities have identified a pattern whereby scammers deliberately establish operations across the border to exploit legal loopholes. 

"These individuals specifically target Thai victims while deliberately avoiding Cambodian citizens," Thatchai explained. "This calculated approach allowed them to face only minor immigration charges in Cambodia if caught."
 

Officials revealed that when previously repatriated to Thailand, suspects typically claimed to be victims of human trafficking themselves, thereby avoiding prosecution for their crimes. This legal manipulation has contributed to the rapid expansion of such operations in recent years.

"These criminal networks have grown increasingly brazen," Thatchai said. "They conduct video calls with victims, verbally abuse them, and in particularly disturbing cases, have sent funeral wreaths to families of those who took their own lives after losing their savings to these scams."

The bilateral agreement follows a recent successful operation in Poipet where Cambodian authorities arrested 119 Thai nationals involved in telephone-scam operations. Thai police have already brought serious charges against 115 of these suspects, marking what officials describe as a "historic step" in their joint enforcement efforts.

The joint operation represents a new approach to tackling the problem. Rather than treating the suspects as potential trafficking victims, authorities have gathered evidence to charge them under serious transnational crime statutes, including criminal association, fraud, and dissemination of false information.

"The Royal Thai Police will dedicate significant resources, both in personnel and budget, to eradicate these operations," Thatchai promised. "Our goal is to completely eliminate such scam networks by the end of this year through continued collaboration with our Cambodian counterparts."
 

Thatchai said both nations have pledged to close legal loopholes that previously allowed scammers to escape serious prosecution. 

"Our goal is to completely eliminate such scam networks by the end of this year through continued collaboration with our Cambodian counterparts," he said.

The Royal Thai Police will dedicate significant resources to this initiative, focusing on both preventing new criminal operations and bringing existing networks to justice. 

The operation follows instructions from Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and National Police Chief Kittharath Punpetch to strengthen regional cooperation against cross-border crime.

Authorities emphasised that these prosecutions will serve as a deterrent, with Thatchai declaring that they intend to ensure these individuals "face justice in Thailand as a lesson to anyone considering similar activities in the future".