Thai Scammers Set Sights on US

Newsweek looks inside the Southeast Asian country's $2 billion cybercrime industry and how American citizens are now falling prey to sophisticated schemes run overseas

- SONAL NAIN

"THE CHINESE GANGS TAUGHT ME HOW TO make my profile look credible, gain followers and post regularly. After finishing my training, I started identifying my victims through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Line," said Narin, a 20-year-old from northern Thailand.

Part of a troubling trend, Thailand leads Asia in scam calls and text messaging, with a staggering 78.8 million incidents reported since last year, according to the country's Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, and $2 billion lost to such crimes in recent years.

Now, the gangs, often led by Chinese masterminds, are expanding into the U.S. and appear to be ensnaring more Americans. In 2023, U.S. authorities issued a stark warning about the growing danger of Americans being trafficked into scam syndicates in Southeast Asia. The seriousness of the situation became evident in December 2023, when the Department of Justice announced the indictment of four individuals based in the U.S. These individuals were accused of laundering over $80 million in profits from scam operations.

To warn others, ex-scammer Narin told Newsweek about his journey into the dark underbelly of cybercrime. He traveled from Thailand's Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai before crossing the border to Tachileik, Myanmar, from where he was taken to border city Laukkai, notorious for call center scams.

Recruited by friends of friends, he trusted them out of desperation for money. But once in Myanmar, he realized the true nature of the operation. Fearful for his safety, Narin felt trapped and couldn't leave.

His role was to identify victims online and incite them to transfer money, to be funneled through the operation's network.

Often, he pretended to be an officer from Shopee or Lazada, Southeast Asia's e-commerce giants in shopping rewards scams.