Thai woman loses 700,000 baht in telephone scam by fake police
A 47 year old woman in Udon Thani province, Thailand, has fallen victim to a gang posing as police officers, losing more than 700,000 baht (US$20,000) she had saved over 10 years through a telephone scam. The money was earmarked for paying off debt owed on machinery and bank loans. The victim urged the police to apprehend the culprits and recover the lost funds.
The woman, known only as A, reported that she had received a telephone scam call from a woman claiming to be a police officer from Tak Police Station, alleging that she was involved in drug trafficking in the area. The imposter instructed her to transfer all her valuable assets, including money, as they would be investigated by the Narcotics Control Board (NCB). Once the investigation was complete, she was told her assets would be returned.
A said she began to trust the false information and added Tak Police Station on the Line instant messaging app for further updates. Soon, a man who claimed to be a deputy inspector called and convinced her that she was in serious trouble. Due to her family’s previous run-ins with the police, she succumbed to fear and began transferring money to the designated accounts via a mobile banking app. She later disclosed other assets, including homes, cars, and land, and was instructed to transfer those too.
However, when the scammers insisted she should sell her 10-baht gold necklace and transfer the money, A grew suspicious. She checked with her former employer, who advised her to report the matter to the police. During her conversation with the investigating officers, she received more messages and calls from the scammers, pressuring her to sell her remaining assets.
The investigation revealed that the transferred money had already been withdrawn from the two accounts under the names of Ratchan Theppakan and Nattaphon Kucharo. A’s family had been working as middlemen in the sugarcane trade and had saved the money for over a decade to pay off their debt. A desperately hopes that the police will apprehend the criminals and recover her lost funds. She said…
“I never thought it could happen to me.”
In related news, a Thai police official and their daughter fell victim to cyber fraud, losing 2 million baht (US$57,600). Read the full story HERE.
