July 4, 2025
BANGKOK – The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on Thursday raided four locations in Bangkok belonging to a company that provides immigration services, over suspected links to scam operations in Cambodia.
One of the sites — a two-storey townhome in Khlong Sam Wa district — offered services such as passport applications, work permit renewals, employer changes, and social security registration for foreign workers from neighboring countries, the DSI said.
Investigators found the company had defrauded migrant workers and was connected to mule accounts used in illicit financial activities, involving hundreds of millions of baht, said DSI Director-General Pol Lt Col Yutthana Praedam.
Some of these accounts were held by other Thai companies and linked to three high-ranking Cambodian officials, he said, adding roughly 100 million baht were traced to those Cambodian figures.
DSI estimated the operation could involve as much as 400 million baht, given the large migrant workforce in Thailand.
“This appears to involve officials from both Thai and Cambodian sides, as labour extension procedures fall under both countries’ Ministries of Labour. But we will not make accusations without clear evidence,” he said.
The probe began after migrant workers reported being charged an unexplained fee of 2,500 baht.
So far, only one company has been formally linked to the scheme, but investigations are ongoing, DSI said.