Police have arrested four Russians living in Phuket who are wanted in Switzerland and the United States on multiple charges of using ransomware to demand payments totalling US$16 million baht.
The men aged 27 to 39 were arrested on Sunday from separate residences in Muang and Thalang districts of Phuket.
Police also seized about 40 items as evidence, including computers and mobile phones. Police did not give the mens' names.
Police said the four suspects allegedly used ransomware to attack 17 companies in Switzerland between April 30, 2023 and Oct 26, 2024. They demanded payment in exchange for the codes to unlock the hacked computer systems.
They also allegedly sent threats via email and phone calls to victims who refused to pay. The messages included threats to expose or sell stolen data.
Police said the four suspects allegedly attacked about 1,000 people worldwide and caused about US$16 million in damages, more than 500 million baht, in total.
The raids and arrests were in response to requests from authorities in the US and Switzerland. The four men will be extradited to answer the charges in the two countries.
