Raid on the O'Semed Scammer Hideout! Thai-Cambodian Border Unveiling the Disheartening Truth

On 7 April at Dan Subdistrict, Kab Choeng District, Surin Province, reporters from the Thai-Cambodian Joint Situation Center took Thai and international media to the Thai-Cambodian border to witness the reality of a scammer hideout and follow up on the issue of a transnational online crime scam center. Currently, the area is under the control of the Thai military.

The area was found to contain over 160 buildings, divided into zones A to G. Each building contained documents with scripts in multiple languages—Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and English—for the scammers to follow. The scammers employ various methods, such as impersonating special forces soldiers, defrauding business owners, romance scams leading to investment, fraudulent business ventures, and online sales scams.

Zone E housed the offices of various Chinese scamming companies. To deceive fellow Chinese, Vietnamese, Americans, or Indians, almost every scammer's office has a large red drum with a red dragon carved in the center. If the scammers successfully defraud victims and reach their target, they will beat the drum as a good luck charm. Each room also has a motto indicating their work schedule displayed.

Furthermore, there are 12 cramped holding cells for scammers who fail to meet their targets. These cells lack amenities, offering only small bottles of water for urination, and are equipped with CCTV cameras monitoring their movements at all times. Upstairs is the workplace of the boss-level call center operators. In addition, there are shops, a massage parlor, and a private hospital. The hospital includes a pharmacy, consultation rooms, an X-ray room, and an operating room. Evidence of a military base used for launching suicide drones during past conflicts was also found.