Luxury Bangkok villa raid busts Vietnamese love scam ring

In a high-profile crackdown, 191 Thai officers stormed the upscale properties, which had been converted into makeshift call centers for the online fraud. The suspects, 22 men and five women, were caught mid-operation, with police seizing 116 mobile phones, 45 computers, and a small amount of ketamine, The Nation reported.

The gang allegedly targeted fellow Vietnamese nationals on the popular messaging app Zalo, posing as successful entrepreneurs and real estate moguls. Using fake profiles with attractive photos and lavish backstories, they would initiate flirtatious conversations, slowly drawing their victims into emotionally charged, fabricated relationships, The Star reported.

Once trust was secured, the scammers invented personal crises or urgent business needs, pressuring their victims to transfer large sums of money, often under the illusion of love or partnership.

Authorities say the operation was highly organized. Each scammer worked in rotating shifts, mimicking the efficiency of a legitimate customer service center. Forensic investigators estimate each of the 27 workstations pulled in as much as VND1.2 billion ($46,000) per month. Since March, the ring is believed to have stolen over VND36 billion ($1.38 million).

Deputy Commissioner Noppasil Poonsawas of the Metropolitan Police Bureau said the investigation began after residents in the area reported suspicious behavior involving foreign nationals. The suspects had entered Thailand from Hanoi in October 2024 on 60-day tourist visas.