Chinese tourist and Thai girlfriend arrested over illegal money exchange service
A Chinese tourist and his Thai girlfriend were arrested over an illegal money exchange service in Thailand.
Zheng, 28, and Kittiyaphorn, 30, reportedly offered yuan and international currency exchange services online without a licence.
Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) launched an investigation after finding social media ads promoting competitive rates, fast transfers, and instant processing through a social media page allegedly managed by Kittiyaphorn.
Investigators said the page advertised yuan top-up services and regularly displayed large amounts of cash to build credibility with customers.
Police raided the couple's three-storey townhouse in Bangkok on June 25 to shut down the unauthorised business.
They detained the pair and seized two mobile phones and four bank accounts as evidence.
Authorities said both were charged with jointly operating an unauthorised foreign currency exchange and international money transfer business. The ECSD said such businesses require a licence and fall under the supervision of the Bank of Thailand.
Further checks found that Kittiyaphorn held bank accounts receiving yuan payments, with more than 26 million baht circulating through them in the past six months.
Nine accounts were reportedly linked to cybercrime, based on data from the Anti-Cyber Scam Centre.
Police said Zheng acted as the financier, while Kittiyaphorn was responsible for posting messages across various online channels, responding to customer enquiries, managing overall operations, setting daily yuan exchange rates, and opening bank accounts to receive transfers from clients.
She reportedly earned income from margins on the daily exchange rates.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Sutthiphong Janthaphan of the Economic Crime Suppression Division said both suspects allegedly confessed to all charges.
He said: ‘They admitted that they had jointly operated a yuan currency exchange service through the Facebook page named 'Kittiyaphorn' since early 2026, who was working alongside her Chinese boyfriend.
‘They opened Alipay accounts to transfer yuan to customers who contacted them for exchange services.
‘They added a markup to the standard exchange rate to generate profit, with earnings fluctuating based on market rates at the time.
‘Their client base primarily consisted of business operators importing goods from China, including both corporate entities and individuals.
‘They admitted that their currency exchange operations were conducted without permission from the Minister of Finance.'
Officers said they will further probe the accounts that received funds linked to suspected criminal activity.
