BANGKOK - A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men.
Inside the property, authorities found large chandeliers, elaborate furnishings and ornaments resembling stuffed birds, highlighting the lavish surroundings in which the alleged scam operation was being conducted.
Among the seized items were police identification booklets bearing the words "Metropolitan Police Department" and scripts written in Japanese.
The suspects allegedly posed as Japanese police officers and mainly targeted people in Japan, calling victims and claiming there had been suspicious financial transactions before persuading them to transfer money.
Booths believed to have been used to make the calls contained what appeared to be operating manuals with instructions such as "show sincerity and confidence" and "if sensitivity is low, strike at it," referring to identifying a victim's weaknesses. Authorities also found notes setting out what appeared to be rules for the operation.
The owner of the mansion said he had been unaware that the property was being used as a fraud base. "It is my house, so I did not want something like this to happen. I cannot forgive acts that deceive people," he said.
The mansion was being rented for about 4.2 million yen a month.
Thai authorities believe a Chinese man suspected of directing the operation remains in Thailand and are searching for his whereabouts.
Source: TBS
