Alleged scammers targeting Australians arrested in Thailand
Police raided a luxury compound near Bangkok on Monday and arrested five Australians, six Britons, a Canadian and a South African. They believe the suspects were involved in swindling money from Australians with fraudulent bond investments promising high returns.
Australian police, who collaborated in the investigation, said initial indications were the scam had netted the equivalent of 1.2 million US dollars.
Kristie-Lee Cressy, a senior officer in the Australian Federal Police, said in a press conference on Tuesday that the group had amassed that money in "just the short time it had been operating. Money that we say was stolen from hard-working Australians and not invested as promised."
Investigators say they found sales-pitch scripts to lure victims, as well as computers and mobile phones during their search. They also found details of over 14,000 Australian nationals in computer files.
Police say the ringleaders of the group had been in Thailand since early 2024, after relocating from Indonesia.
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