Japanese scam network leader arrested for fraud charges in Thailand
BANGKOK, THAILAND — Thai police have arrested Tetsuya Yamaguchi, a 47-year-old Japanese man suspected of running an international scam network, at his rented condominium in central Bangkok.
Japanese authorities made the arrest request, which led Thai police to take Yamaguchi into custody. Southeast Asia is facing a campaign against illegal call center operations that Yamaguchi participates in through his suspected control of scam centers in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Money launderer masked as art dealer
Tetsuya Yamaguchi is believed to have orchestrated call center scams targeting Japanese victims from operations in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Authorities revealed that he founded an art dealing company called “Last Samurai Japan,” allegedly as a front for laundering proceeds from the scams. The scams are part of a broader multi-billion-dollar industry in Southeast Asia, where criminal networks exploit workers to run online and phone scams.
Thai police are now collaborating with Japanese authorities to extradite Yamaguchi by early April while continuing to investigate his network’s operations.
Southeast Asia’s scam industry
The arrest highlights ongoing efforts by Southeast Asian authorities to dismantle scam networks operating in the region. In Myanmar alone, thousands of workers have been freed from compounds where they were coerced into running scams.
Since February, Thailand has repatriated around 4,500 individuals involved in such operations, including over 3,000 Chinese nationals.
Thai police Inspector General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot emphasized the importance of international cooperation in combating these crimes. As investigations continue, authorities aim to uncover the full extent of Yamaguchi’s operations and their impact across borders.
