Widow loses 620,000 baht to call centre scam in Thailand
A widow with twin daughters sought help from the Pavena Foundation, claiming she was deceived into transferring over 620,000 baht by the Poipet Company. She had intended to save her late husband’s life insurance money for her daughters’ education.
Yesterday, April 8, at the Pavena Foundation in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani province, a 44 year old woman, referred to as Nid, along with her 14 year old twin daughters, reported a scam to Pavena Hongsakul, chairman of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women. Nid, a rice farmer and fish breeder from Chachoengsao province, was tricked by a call centre gang into losing over 620,000 baht (US$17,790).
This sum was part of her late husband’s life insurance, who passed away in November 2024. She had planned to save the money for her daughters’ education but was deceived into losing almost all of it.
On April 2, Nid received a call from the number 092-091-8772. A woman, claiming to be a mobile phone company staff member, had personal details, including her full name and ID number. Nid was accused of using her ID to open a phone line that caused disturbances, which she denied.
The woman then transferred the call to a man claiming to be a police officer from a station in Uttaradit province. He accused Nid of opening a bank account for money laundering, threatening her with imprisonment and asset seizure.
Confused and scared, Nid explained her innocence. The supposed officer instructed her to add him on LINE for a video call, where she saw him in a police uniform at a station and displaying a police ID badge. Believing him to be genuine, Nid was convinced to transfer money to prove her innocence, with the promise of a refund if she was not involved in money laundering.
Call centre scam
Nid was instructed to withdraw her husband’s life insurance money from the bank, totalling 650,000 baht (US$18,645), and transfer 626,000 baht (US$17,955) through her mobile banking app to accounts under the names of two men and a woman across three banks.
During this ordeal, she was repeatedly told not to inform anyone. The following morning, on April 3, she received another video call requesting further money transfers, but having no funds left, she questioned when the refund would occur.
The caller instructed her to visit a local police station for documentation to facilitate the refund. Believing this, Nid went to Mueang Chachoengsao Police Station hoping for assistance. However, further attempts to contact the alleged officer failed, prompting her to realise she had been scammed.
She filed a complaint at Mueang Chachoengsao Police Station and sought the foundation’s help to pursue the case. Pavena Hongsakul coordinated with Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiwpan, chief of the Technology Crime Suppression Division, and Police Colonel Puritath Boonchuay, superintendent of Mueang Chachoengsao Police Station, to close the victim’s account, trace the money flow, and expedite the apprehension of the call centre syndicate.
Pavena expressed sympathy for Nid, a widow who had lost her husband and now faced financial ruin while raising her twin daughters, who are only in their second year of secondary school, alone. She urged the public to be cautious of unknown callers claiming to be officials and to disconnect immediately to avoid scams.
The Pavena Foundation received 5,647 complaints in 2024, with online crime reports increasing by 668 cases. Among these, 318 involved investment scams totalling over 3 billion baht (US$86 million), 64 involved call centre scams, and 105 involved obscene video scams, reported KhaoSod.
Latest Thailand News
