Thai police rescue student from 1.5 million baht scam
Thai police were commended for rescuing a university student from a call centre scam that held her for a 1.5 million baht ransom. The incident occurred yesterday, February 5, when the call centre gang lured the student from a renowned university in Rangsit, convincing her to transfer nearly 1.5 million baht.
Police Colonel Kiattisak Mitprasat of Khlong Luang Police Station reported that the student’s parents reached out around 2am, expressing concern after their daughter, a third-year student, fell victim to the scam.
Officers from Khlong Luang Police Station promptly began their investigation, successfully locating the student by 4am. She was found unharmed, although she had been deceived by the scam.
The scam involved a series of phone calls claiming to be from TrueMove, a telecommunications network, warning the student that her SIM card was illegal. The fraudsters, posing as Patong police in Phuket, coerced her into transferring money and hiding for her safety, alleging that someone using her account knew her location and intended harm.
Frightened, the student took a taxi to rent a room to hide. The scammers also threatened her parents, demanding 300,000 baht (US$8,925) for her release but her parents, in collaboration with police, did not transfer any money. The police managed to rescue the student safely.
Upon searching the room, the student was alone without any immediate threat present. The gang had manipulated her into transferring funds multiple times, totalling 1,490,000 baht (US$44,330) across five accounts.
The gang used four different SIM cards, pretending to be from TrueMove and posing as fake Patong police, even conducting video calls with the victim, reported KhaoSod.
The police responded to the distress call at 2am and secured the student’s safety by 4am. As part of the investigation, all involved bank accounts were frozen, and the student provided a statement regarding the scam, which involved five accounts and four SIM cards.
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