ລາວໂຮມລາວ ເພື່ອປະຊາທິປະໄຕ

Police uncover regional scam, arrest 68

A group of 68 people, mostly Chinese nationals, was arrested recently in Laos for defrauding Chinese citizens of their money through a scam operated over the Internet.

The Public Security Ministry reported yesterday that Chinese officials, in cooperation with Lao authorities, raided a two-floor villa in Sisattanak district, Vientiane, on September 26 and arrested the suspects.

“Chinese officials had informed us that the group had come to Laos and used IT systems to defraud Chinese businesses of over 100 million yuan (more than 125 billion kip),” the Ministry's Police Department Deputy Chief Colonel Khamhoung Sengpaseuth said.

“After receiving the information, we worked with Chinese officials to investigate the house and arrested 68 suspects, including 29 women, most of whom were Chinese nationals.”

During the investigation, off icials seized 27 laptops, three high-speed modems, 31 home telephones, 56 cell phones, two 12-seater minibuses and millions of kip.

“The suspects had established a criminal network that stretched across eight countries - Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar and Cambodia,” he said.

Colonel Khamhoung warned owners of rental properties to inform village offices about their occupants to avoid such problems.

“Everyone, particularly business operators, should think carefully about business propositions, investigate any potential opportunity thoroughly, and should not be too quick to trust people,” he cautioned.