Victims of call centre scam gangs urged to meet authorities

BANGKOK, January 12 (TNA) - Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has urged victims of call centre scam gangs to contact and to give tip-offs to AMLO authorities. Following a case in which a retired university lecturer recently reported to the AMLO authorities for losing almost 30 million baht to a call centre scam gang, AMLO acting secretary-general Sihanat Prayoonrat told reporters on Thursday that 4-5 more retired victims of call centre gangs had also reported to the Bangkok-based AMLO; while many others had provided information that they were first aware of the frauds and did not transfer any money to the gangs. Police Colonel Sihanat said that a working group set up by his office found that most victims of the call centre gangs were retired teachers, university lecturers and civil servants who mostly opened their bank accounts in provincial branches. The acting AMLO chief assumed that all cases having been reported to his office recently were committed by the same transnational call centre scam gang, in which Thai nationals have involved, targeting mainly local retirees, insisting that AMLO officers should be able to track down those committing the crime within 1-2 weeks. (TNA)