Thai police secure pledge from Interpol to support crackdowns on call-centre gangs in Cambodia

Thai police secure Interpol’s pledge to help combat online scam gangs in Cambodia, aiming to reduce their operations by 50% within three months.

A senior Thai police official has secured a pledge from Interpol to assist Thailand in combating international online scam gangs operating in neighbouring countries, particularly in Cambodia.

Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Senior Inspector General of the Royal Thai Police, confirmed the pledge following his visit to France on July 2.

Thatchai, also the director of the Centre for Technology Crime Suppression and head of a special taskforce targeting technology crime and human trafficking along the border, visited Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France, where he gave a speech on the prevalence of call-centre gangs in Southeast Asia.

During his visit, Thatchai met with Cyril Gout, Director of Interpol’s Police Affairs, and Abdulaziz Obaidally, Director of Interpol’s Information Division. He briefed them on the serious situation regarding call-centre gangs operating in Thailand's neighbouring countries, particularly Cambodia, and highlighted the significant economic damage these online scams are inflicting not only on Thailand but also on other nations.

Following the discussions, Gout and Obaidally pledged full cooperation from Interpol to help Thailand target these online scam gangs. This support includes providing tools, in-depth information, and assisting Thai police in developing strategies to dismantle these operations.

Thatchai also announced that Interpol had pledged to send officers to be stationed at Thailand's War Room to monitor call-centre gangs and human trafficking activities.

With Interpol's support, Thatchai expressed confidence that the Thai police would reduce the presence of call-centre gangs in Cambodia by 50% within three months. He further stated that Thailand would prevent these gangs from using the country as a transit hub to neighbouring nations.

(2025/07/08-00:00)