9 hours ago
Dramatic moment five Aussies are arrested in a luxury villa in Thailand over alleged 'boiler room' scam
Five Australian men have been arrested in a ritzy Thai villa-turned-call-centre after allegedly pocketing almost $2million in an investment scam targeting the elderly.
Police raided a mansion on the outskirts of Bangkok on Monday morning and arrested 13 alleged scammers - including five from Australia, six from the UK, a 44-year-old from South Africa and a 58-year-old Canadian.
Officers arrested Australians Brett Peter Dawson, 51, Nicholas John Mason, 43, Mark Dennis, 54, Christopher Pepena, 48, and Luke Cameron Campbell, 45.
Shocking footage showed armed Thai officers storming the luxury villa and catching the alleged criminals in the act as they used a network of 58 computers to carry out a 'boiler room' scam targeting hard-working Aussies.
So-called boiler room scams are call centres where fraudsters use high-pressure sales tactics to trick victims into investing money.
Officers recovered scripts from the scene that the alleged fraudsters used to groom victims into investing in bonds with supposed annual returns of between seven and 10 per cent.
Victims were told these 'bonds' had a maturity rate of between one and three years.
In a chilling nod to the alleged victims, several clocks hung on the wall showing different time zones across Australia.
Police believe up to 14,000 Australians had allegedly been targeted by the group, who were working when officers busted down the door.
The working hours in the 'call centre' are said to be 9am to 6pm Sydney time.
Kristie Lee Cressy, Senior Officer at the Australian Federal Police (AFP), said officers had worked with Thai officers after being alerted to the alleged scam.
'Following a joint investigation with Thai authorities, a search warrant was obtained and a raid was carried out at the premises,' she said.
'This syndicate was specifically targeting Australian victims, scamming them through elaborate schemes. The total losses caused by their operations amounted to nearly two million Australian dollars, money stolen from hardworking Australians.
'This operation marks a significant success in the ongoing cooperation between the Thai and Australian police.'
