Police in Thailand arrested a South Korean man at Suvarnabhumi Airport who is allegedly part of a call center scam that laundered over 1.65 billion baht by converting cryptocurrency into gold.
Details of the Arrest
On a Saturday, officers from the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) apprehended Han, a 33-year-old South Korean national. An arrest warrant for Han was issued on February 6, 2025, on charges including fraud, money laundering, and being part of a criminal organization. Authorities were tipped off that Han was arriving in Thailand on a flight from South Korea and were waiting for him at the airport’s immigration checkpoint. They also confiscated his phone, which contained evidence of multiple cryptocurrency accounts and money laundering activities.
The Call Center Scam
The arrest is the result of an ongoing investigation into a scam that began in February 2024. The scammers targeted people looking for extra income, promising high returns of 30% to 50% on their investments. Initially, victims received small returns, but after they invested larger amounts, they were unable to withdraw their money. The perpetrators would then claim that the victims hadn’t followed the proper procedures to release their funds.
Victims eventually reported the scam to the TCSD, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects, including money launderers and those who provided “mule” accounts to facilitate the operation.
Han’s Alleged Role
Han admitted to police that he previously worked for a company in South Korea that laundered different cryptocurrencies into gold bars for a call center gang. His job was to set up cryptocurrency accounts to receive funds from the scam. His company would then use those funds to purchase gold bars from suppliers overseas and ship them back to the criminal syndicate.
The investigation revealed that the call center scam was a massive operation. Each transaction involved over 10 kilograms of gold, valued at about 33 million baht. From January to March 2024, Han’s accounts received roughly 47.3 million USDT, equivalent to about 1.65 billion baht, which is believed to have been laundered into gold bars.
Han is currently in custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
