At the MHESI Fair 2025, Police Major General Dr. Siriwat Deepor, Commander of the Technology Crime Investigation Division 1 and Deputy Spokesperson of the Royal Thai Police, delivered a keynote speech on “Scam City: Decoding Call Center Gangs.” He unveiled the organizational structure and countermeasures, emphasizing the need to “see the whole system” rather than merely pursuing symptoms. According to Pol. Maj. Gen. Siriwat, the success of call center gangs does not rely solely on technology, but on deceiving victims into making mistakes within minutes—an area where many people still fall victim, even when they are aware of fraud tactics.
1. People
The first strategy, according to Pol. Maj. Gen. Siriwat, begins with intelligence coordination and investigations before suspects even enter the country. This must go hand-in-hand with proactive measures at airports and immigration checkpoints to screen individuals, behaviors, and risky travel routes. Monitoring must continue along pathways leading from border checkpoints into targeted areas, with proactive inspections at accommodations, hotels, tourist zones, and transit hubs often used for gatherings and equipment transfers. Border areas, he emphasized, must be under strict surveillance, as they are primary channels for illegal labor and offenders. International cooperation is also essential to “cut off operations at the source” and to support joint investigations and extraditions.
2. Communication
For the communication infrastructure of these gangs, Pol. Maj. Gen. Siriwat used the phrase “blowing up the criminals’ bridge”—meaning to disrupt communication channels so severely that operations collapse. This involves dismantling the “SIM–line–tower” system. Once investigators detect links quickly enough, shutting down illegal SIM cards and fake numbers, pressuring telecom providers, and seizing protocol-conversion equipment disrupts the gangs’ ability to communicate. “When the main communication line collapses, the script cannot continue—the commands, victim handling, and money laundering process are all cut off,” he said, noting that this forces criminals to “show their hand” and adopt new tools that make them easier to trace.
3. Finance
“Money is the lifeblood of the gangs,” he stressed. The focus must therefore be on mule accounts that receive, split, and transfer funds across accounts, platforms, and borders. Key measures include freezing mule accounts swiftly, intercepting financial flows, and returning money to victims once evidence is substantiated. “Once the money trail is cut off, the illicit business loses liquidity, incentives to expand diminish, and public confidence is restored—showing that cases do not end with arrests alone, but with full restitution,” said Pol. Maj. Gen. Siriwat.
