Thai Authorities Say Dozens of Japanese Involved in Southeast Asian Fraud Hubs; Some Believed to Be Hiding in Thailand

By Yuki Sato/Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:13 JST, March 25, 2025

BANGKOK — A senior Thai police official revealed on Monday that dozens of Japanese nationals are believed to be involved in scamming hubs in Southeast Asia, including in eastern Myanmar’s Myawaddy and Cambodia.

Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelabutr, the director of the National Anti-Human Trafficking Centre, which is involved in investigations related to the fraud hubs, spoke to reporters on Monday when he was presented with a letter of appreciation by Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Masato Otaka.

He pointed out that scam hubs in Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam are run by the same groups, many of which are still in operation. “Japanese members in these areas are working together,” he said. Some of them are believed to be hiding in Thailand, and investigations are continuing accordingly.

Meanwhile, a 29-year-old Japanese man — who was detained by Thai police in February for tricking a 17-year-old Japanese high school student into working at a fraud hub — was deported to Japan on Tuesday.