Police Take Down Mule Account Gang, 4 Nabbed in Separate Raids
BANGKOK – Crime Investigation Bureau (CIB) police have dismantled a major mule account network following coordinated raids across multiple regions of Thailand, arresting four suspects accused of supporting large-scale online fraud.
The arrests were carried out on Friday after officers raided seven locations in Phatthalung in the South, Chiang Mai in the North, and Surin in the Northeast. The operation targeted a ring allegedly involved in supplying bank accounts and electronic payment tools used in technology-related crimes.
Pol Maj Gen Phatthanasak Bupphasuwan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), said suspects were arrested at residences in Muang and Sri Bunphot districts of Phatthalung, as well as in San Kamphaeng district of Chiang Mai.
The four suspects — two men and two women, all in their mid-30s — are accused of helping, promoting, and providing mule bank accounts and electronic cards to criminal networks. Investigators believe the group played a key logistical role in supporting online scams operating across the country.
Police linked the suspects to at least 70 fraud cases, with total financial losses estimated at 21 million baht. Investigators traced suspicious money flows back to accounts opened in Phatthalung, which ultimately led to the arrests.
According to Pol Maj Gen Phatthanasak, the network recruited more than 30 people, persuading each to open multiple bank accounts. “The group operated as a structured organisation led by a foreign organiser,” he said. “They followed a clear system to lure people and give them false expectations.”
Thai intermediaries were reportedly sent to rural communities to recruit villagers, particularly elderly individuals and people with disabilities. Recruits were told they would be hired as temporary housekeepers at a casino in a neighbouring country, earning between 10,000 and 20,000 baht for two to three days of work.
Those who agreed were instructed to open at least five bank accounts each, collect ATM cards, and prepare passports for cross-border travel. Other members of the network handled transportation, moving recruits to meeting points before handing them over to the alleged organiser.
Police said the mule accounts were actively used until banks detected suspicious activity and froze them. Once the accounts became unusable, recruits were sent back to Thailand and cut off from further contact.
Investigators believe the accounts supported multiple scam types, including online investment fraud and fake loan schemes. While some suspects admitted recruiting locals, they denied direct involvement in the scams. Police said digital evidence, including transaction records and chat logs with the alleged organiser, played a crucial role in building the case.
All four suspects remain in police custody as legal proceedings continue.
Mule Account Enforcement in Thailand
Mule accounts — bank or digital asset accounts opened in one person’s name but controlled by criminals — are a major tool in modern cybercrime. They are used to receive, transfer, and conceal illicit funds from scams such as call-centre fraud, romance scams, and fake investments.
Authorities estimate Thailand has faced hundreds of thousands of mule accounts, with scam-related losses exceeding 100 billion baht since 2022. In response, agencies including AMLO, the Bank of Thailand, the SEC, and police have frozen more than 580,000 suspect accounts since late 2023.
Penalties have also intensified. Those involved in opening or supplying mule accounts can face up to three years in prison, while organisers may face up to 10 years under money laundering laws, along with asset seizures.
Officials continue to warn the public that handing over bank access — even unknowingly — can lead to long-term legal and financial consequences.
