Thai Cyber Police Track Scam Millions to Cambodian Firm, Hun Sen Family Link Probed

Thai cyber police revealed today that significant sums of money, allegedly illicitly gained from online gambling and sophisticated call centre scams targeting Thai citizens, are being channelled into a Cambodian entity known as the "Huione Group."

While investigations are ongoing, authorities are examining a potential connection to a nephew of Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.

Speaking at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) Headquarters in Muang Thong Thani, Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, the CCIB Commissioner, detailed how money from these widespread scams flows through multiple intermediary accounts, often 'mule' accounts, before being converted into cryptocurrency.

These digital assets are then, allegedly, converted back into cash or other tangible assets via the Huione Group.

"Our officers have identified two possibilities," Lt Gen Trairong stated. "Either the Huione Group is a legitimate company based in Cambodia, or it's located within the scammer compounds found along the border and in areas controlled by these criminal groups. In either scenario, it appears this company is being used to convert digital currency into cash or transfer it to other accounts."
 

The Commissioner acknowledged that the financial trails from a majority of online gambling and call centre cases have led to this specific company.

When pressed on whether this pattern was unusual, he refrained from a definitive statement, noting that Huione Group is legally registered.

He also downplayed the impact of the United States' decision to blacklist the company, stating it poses no significant obstacle to the ongoing cyber police investigation or monitoring.

Enquiries from reporters about whether comprehensive asset and financial data had been requested from Huione Group elicited a cautious response.

Lt Gen Trairong confirmed that while data requests had been sent to numerous companies – with domestic firms typically cooperating fully – Huione Group has only provided information on a "case-by-case basis," sometimes failing to provide data at all.

He maintained that it was too early to determine if this suggested any complicity in criminal activity.

Crucially, when questioned about whether the company is owned by Hun To, nephew of Cambodia's influential Senate President Hun Sen, Lt Gen Trairong declined to comment directly.

"I cannot answer that at this stage; we are still verifying the company's information," he stated.

Separately, the Commissioner issued a public advisory, urging Thai citizens to exercise extreme caution in consuming and sharing news, particularly given the current security situation between Thailand and Cambodia.

He highlighted a concerning trend of sophisticated "fake news" generation, often employing AI-powered image manipulation.

"If the news is not certain, please do not share it," he advised, stressing the importance of relying on credible news outlets.

He also warned those responsible for creating such disinformation, stating that while freedom of expression is permitted online, generating fake news to incite public unrest is not a liberty and constitutes a violation of computer crime laws.

He concluded that cyber police would immediately investigate and apprehend anyone found engaging in such illicit activities.