Disabled man in Udon Thani loses 10,000 baht to suspected scam

A disabled man from Udon Thani was reportedly scammed out of 10,000 baht from his account, leaving only 5 baht. Allegations suggest a local woman might have withdrawn the money under false pretences.

Somdee Plangsi, a 63 year old resident of Ban Na Mueang Thai in Na Som, Udon Thani, along with his family members, complained to Peerayut Utchin, Deputy Inspector of Na Som Police Station. They also reported the incident to Jakrapat Wijitvaitaya, Head of Na Som Police Station.

Somdee, who is deaf and has cognitive impairments, suspects that Rinda, a 34 year old woman from the same village, might have covertly withdrawn the 10,000 baht (US$310) provided by the government under the digital wallet scheme.

On September 24, Rinda volunteered to help Somdee link his account to the PromptPay system at the bank’s ATM. However, they were unsuccessful. Rinda then offered to keep Somdee’s ATM card, assuring him that she would withdraw the money for him once it was deposited.

On September 28, Somdee and his relatives approached Rinda to retrieve the ATM card. Rinda claimed she had returned the card to Somdee on September 24.

When Somdee and his relatives checked the bankbook, they discovered that the 10,000 baht had been deposited on September 26 and withdrawn the same day, incurring a 10-baht fee. The remaining balance in Somdee’s account was only 5 baht.

A relative mentioned that there had been previous issues with Rinda’s family. Rinda had previously offered to withdraw Somdee’s elderly allowance and state welfare card funds, only to use the money for herself. The family thought these issues were resolved but now suspect Rinda of taking the 10,000 baht, reported KhaoSod.

The family is determined to pursue the matter legally and believes Rinda is responsible. Somdee plans to submit the complaint documents to Kasikorn Bank to review the CCTV footage and confirm the identity of the person who withdrew the money.