(Bangkok, 8th) The commander of Thailand’s Second Police Region, Lieutenant General Inyot, together with Rayong Police Chief Major General Pumin, announced the successful bust of an express delivery scam network led by a Chinese criminal syndicate.
According to reports, the group sent second-hand or inferior products to people who had not placed any orders and posed as courier companies to carry out scams using the cash on delivery method.
Through a joint investigation by the Second Police Region Investigation Team and the Rayong Police, it was found that between January and April this year, the syndicate sent over 120,000 fraudulent parcels nationwide. If all had succeeded, the total losses would have exceeded 43 million baht.
Based on arrest warrants issued by the court, six out of seven suspects involved have been arrested so far. Among them, two Chinese nationals were identified as masterminds and beneficiaries, while four Thais acted as accomplices.
Lieutenant General Inyot stated that the operation stemmed from a search of a warehouse in Rayong Province on April 19. In the joint operation by the Second Police Region Investigation Team, Rayong Police, and Rayong Provincial Administration, a large amount of evidence was seized, including trucks, packaging equipment, returned parcels, parcels pending delivery, and major shipping company labels. Three illegal foreign workers were also arrested.
Further investigation revealed that the warehouse was a dispatch center for a scam syndicate. By misusing recipient details from customer databases, they sent inferior goods such as shoes, toothpaste, and clothing to victims, misleading the public via cash on delivery.
Since the prices of goods were only a few hundred baht, most victims believed it and did not file a police report. From January 1 to April 19 this year, the syndicate sent over 120,000 parcels, successfully scamming 12,740 of them, causing losses in the millions of baht.
After police collected evidence, the court issued arrest warrants for the following seven suspects: Yang (Chinese national), mastermind and beneficiary; Wang (Chinese national), beneficiary; Yang (female, Chinese national), beneficiary; Kanika (female, Thai national), responsible for opening VIP shipping contracts; Apiranya (female, Thai national), responsible for opening VIP shipping contracts; Wanikhom (female, Thai national), responsible for packaging control; Nattapap (female, Thai national), served as Yang’s interpreter.
Except for the female suspect Yang, the other six have been apprehended. Police have charged these six with the crime of "joint public fraud." Currently, Thai police are pursuing the female suspect Yang with an Interpol red notice.
Lieutenant General Inyot emphasized that scammers use ever-changing tactics. In this case, they exploited the "cash on delivery" method to deceive the public. Because the losses per victim were small (only a few hundred baht), many victims gave up on reporting the crime, allowing the syndicate to act recklessly.
He reminded the public to verify before receiving any package and not to accept or pay for parcels they did not order. In addition, if anything suspicious is found, people can contact any police station or call the 24-hour hotline to provide tips.