‘Phantom birth’ scam spooks Thailand as hundreds of babies get fake citizenship

Police believe that some Chinese cyber scammers are using these false registrations to launder money through firms they can fully control Babies born to Chinese parents have been registered at addresses that no longer exist or to households without children. Local men have also been paid – or unwittingly used – to be named as fathers on birth certificates so that the babies automatically become Thai citizens. Police from a task force set up to probe the widening scandal believe that some of the false registrations may be linked to Chinese cyber scammers seeking to launder money through companies they can fully control. “It started from a small point in the north, expanded gradually, and has now reached Bangkok,” he told reporters on Thursday. “There are still thousands more cases. We already have a good picture of these networks and their operations. We believe they will stop using the old methods and try to find new ones – but it won’t be as easy as before.”

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