# Thai police arrest 13 in alleged investment scam house in Samut Prakan
Thai police say they have dismantled a rental-house operation in Samut Prakan province that was allegedly used to run an online investment fraud targeting Australians and possibly other English-speaking victims.
Authorities said 13 foreigners were arrested on Monday, June 16, 2025, after a months-long surveillance operation. The group, described as mostly Australians and British nationals, was accused of using online advertisements and phone calls to persuade victims to put money into long-term bonds that promised high returns. Police said the suspects worked from a house that had been converted into an office and contained scripts, workflow notes, whiteboards and clocks showing Australian time zones.
According to Thai police, the Australian Federal Police tipped off Thai authorities last year about a scam group led by an Australian and a Briton. That intelligence led to a joint investigation that tracked the suspected operators as they came and went on schedules that matched Australian business hours. Officers seized phones, computers and other electronic equipment they say were used in the scheme.
The arrests are part of a wider effort by authorities across the region to confront large-scale scam networks that move across borders and rely on remote sales tactics. Thai officials said the suspects denied wrongdoing and claimed they believed they were working for a legitimate investment company. Immigration authorities said the group entered Thailand on different visas, including retirement and education visas.
The arrests also underline how costly online fraud has become for Australian victims. At a press conference in Bangkok, an Australian Federal Police officer said at least 14,000 Australians had fallen victim to the scam linked to the case. She also said the group had taken at least 1.9 million Australian dollars from victims in a short period.
Thai police said the 13 detainees included six Britons, five Australians, one Canadian and one South African. They were initially charged with racketeering and working without a permit, with investigators saying further charges could follow, including fraud and involvement in transnational organized crime.
The case adds another example to a growing pattern of scam hubs operating from Southeast Asia and targeting victims abroad. In this case, the front office looked ordinary enough from the outside, but police said the interior told a different story: partitioned desks, monitoring boards and a structure designed to move money through persuasion rather than force.
For now, the investigation centers on how long the operation ran, who directed it and whether more suspects or victims remain to be identified.
