Crypto scam impersonates news anchor, swindles 20 million baht

An online scammer impersonated well-known news anchor, Arakar Jiwagit, also known as Kwang, and defrauded Thanasak, a former Bangkok Water Supply director, of nearly 20 million baht via an investment in cryptocurrency.

Thanasak yesterday, accompanied by his lawyer Chidchonok Laminai, and news anchor Kwang, visited Police Colonel Chatchapund Klaikleung, Commander of Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau 1, at the Government Complex in Chaeng Watthana to file a complaint against the perpetrators of the scam.

In early June, Thanasak was approached on Facebook by someone claiming to be Kwang, the news anchor of Nation TV’s Morning Nation. The conversation moved from Facebook to Line and took on a romantic tone. The scammer started persuading Thanasak to invest in crypto. At first, a 20,000 baht investment yielded a 4,000 baht profit, which led Thanasak to invest more in the scam with what he thought was a famous news anchor.

The scammer, impersonating Kwang, was active on Facebook and posted various lifestyle content similar to the news anchor’s real life. The scammer also communicated with Thanasak at times that coincided with Kwang’s news reading schedule. Thanasak was further convinced it wasn’t a scam by video calls, during which a still image of news anchor Kwang was displayed.

As Thanasak invested more, the scammer claimed to also invest 3.4 million baht and planned future trips abroad and charity donations with the trading profits. However, when Thanasak tried to withdraw some of his investment, he discovered he couldn’t, leading him to suspect he had been scammed by the news anchor. In just two months, he lost nearly 20 million baht.

Kwang, who is also a victim as her images and lifestyle as a well-known news anchor were used to deceive Thanasak, was unaware of the scam until last week when she was informed by her team while on a trip to Italy.

She immediately coordinated with her team to report the scammer and advised her followers to be cautious of any Facebook account impersonating her as she no longer uses the platform. She also empathised with the victims and urged investors to do thorough research before investing.

Pol. Col. Chatchapund revealed that this was a Hybrid Scam, where the scammer communicates online, builds trust and affection, and then lures the victim into making an investment. He said that Thanasak had made more than 10 transactions, totalling nearly 20 million baht, to more than 10 bank accounts. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau 1 is now working with the relevant banks to freeze the related accounts and track the financial transactions.

While it is uncertain how much money can be recovered, the police are doing their best to resolve the issue. In the meantime, they are urging the public to check the credibility of any investment opportunities and documents such as company registration certificates. The police also stressed the importance of not believing, not rushing, and not transferring money to anyone they met online.

The police have found that, like in the case of a news anchor impersonator, Facebook is the platform most commonly used for scams and is requesting banks’ cooperation. They are also exploring potential actions against the signal towers along the border, as many of these scammers are hiding in neighbouring countries.

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