Inside the scammer compound: jail cells, torture rooms and a vice empire exposed

Thai authorities on Tuesday took more than 60 Thai and international journalists into a notorious scammer compound near the Chong Chom border crossing in Kab Choeng district, Surin, exposing what they described as a vast operational base for transnational online crime.

Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornchaidee, director of the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Information Centre (JIC), led the media visit to the border area in Dan subdistrict, where Thai troops have taken control and installed barbed-wire fencing in line with a joint statement. The site, located in the O Smach area near Chong Chom, has been identified as a base used by scammer networks regarded as a global threat.

According to officials, the compound contains more than 160 buildings divided into zones A to G, all of which are now under Thai control. During Tuesday’s visit, the media were taken specifically into Zone E, which authorities said had been used as a hub for international scam operations targeting victims in countries including the United States, India, Vietnam and several parts of Europe.

Inside the buildings, reporters found signs showing working hours, with many shifts running from 9pm to 3am. Authorities said this reflected the locations of many intended victims, particularly in Europe and the United States.

Also found throughout the buildings were large quantities of written materials used to train scammers. These included prepared scripts in Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and English, designed to be followed during contact with targets. Officials said the fraud tactics covered a wide range of approaches, including impersonating special forces personnel, deceiving shop owners, romance-and-investment scams, fake business invitations and online trading schemes. There were also documents specifically teaching operatives how to deceive people who had already been scammed before.

Zone E appeared to house offices belonging to multiple Chinese-run scam companies. Authorities said the operations were used to target fellow Chinese nationals as well as Vietnamese, American and Indian victims. Inside were desks, computer equipment, electronic devices, internet signal equipment and extensive paperwork linked to fraudulent activities.

One striking feature seen in almost every scam office was a large red ceremonial drum placed prominently in the room, decorated with a red dragon motif. Officials said it was believed these drums were beaten in celebration whenever scammers succeeded in extracting enough money from victims to meet their targets. Many of the rooms also displayed company logos and workplace mottos, including slogans roughly meaning, “The efficiency of your hands will prove the value of your existence,” as well as Chinese sayings intended to motivate workers, such as, “If we have a strong mind, we can determine our own destiny.”

The visit also revealed a basement detention area used to punish those who failed to meet performance targets. In one building in Zone E, reporters were shown 12 cramped holding rooms. Inside were items described as torture equipment, with no basic comforts provided. Each room contained only a small bottle for urination, and CCTV cameras had been installed to monitor detainees’ movements at all times. The upper floors of the same building were said to have been used as the working area for senior call-centre bosses.

Authorities said the wider compound had developed into a self-contained underground economy. Within the area were shops, massage venues and even a hospital of its own, identified as Zhong NAN Hospital. The hospital contained a pharmacy room, consulting rooms, an X-ray room and an operating theatre, all apparently fully equipped.

Officials believed the hospital was used mainly to treat Chinese nationals, pointing to the fact that all signage inside was in Chinese and that the doctors stationed there were also Chinese. However, they added that the hospital had also been used as a military base and as a launch site for suicide drones during previous fighting in the area.

The compound also included an entertainment complex featuring a casino, karaoke venues, massage establishments, hotels and places linked to commercial sex services.

Authorities said this section was a restricted zone, accessible only to businessmen and high-level Chinese bosses for entertainment and social gatherings, while ordinary scammers were not allowed to enter.

What emerged from the inspection was not merely a collection of scam offices, but an extensive criminal enclave built to support fraud, punishment, profit and privilege on an industrial scale.