Facebook hackers steal 34 million baht in online scam

PHOTO: INN News

“…never set your password with your phone number or personal information that is easy to hack.”

Thais Wuttiwat Chuenmanoh and Chawan Kornraknugpai have now been arrested after many victims filed complaints that the pair had been stealing their identities. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Puttaphong Punnagun, and Police Colonel Ek Siriwat from the Technology Crime Suppression Division made the announcement yesterday.

They reported that the suspects created fake Facebook accounts and advertise jobs online. When a victim contacts them to apply for a job the suspects will ask them for personal information such as their ID card and phone number. The information is then used to open E-wallets and to hack the victims’ Facebook accounts. The suspects pretended to be the victim by sending messages asking to borrow money from their online friends. They said that a lot of people will choose passwords for online accounts that are easy to remember, and easy to hack.

The money is then transferred to the E-wallet, the wallet info is then sent to Chawan. He would then create a code for the money accessible online to whoever has access to the codes. Chawan sells the codes to gamer groups and websites with e-wallet buyers. Chawan makes 10% of the sales.

Police report that the suspects have been conducting the scam since 2016 and stolen around 34 million baht.

In making the announcements, Police want to warn people to never send personal information to others online, even if it’s for a job application.

“Many hackers prey on the innocence of others, in this case, they prey on people in need of a job. If it is required, make sure to scan your ID card with your signature on the copy stating the specific position in the job application”.

“More important advice is to never set your password with your phone number or personal information that is easy to hack, a mix of numbers and capital letters is always safer.”

SOURCE: Thai Residents