Young Bangkok scammer busted for dialing into pension scam

Police arrested a 20 year old woman at a dormitory in Bangkok for her involvement in a call centre scam that defrauded a retired teacher of millions in pension money. Police detained her after she returned to Thailand, revealing the circumstances that led to her capture.

Today, October 11, police officers led by Police Major General Montree Teskan and Police Colonel Pattarawut Onchuay from the Crime Suppression Division arrested 20 year old Pornrat (surname withheld), under an arrest warrant issued on August 28.

Pornrat faces charges of theft involving two or more people impersonating officials, illegal use of another person’s electronic card, and computer-related crimes by importing false information.

The arrest took place outside a dormitory on Soi Ladprao 101 in Klong Chan, Bang Kapi district, Bangkok. The scam, which began in January, involved fraudsters calling the victim, a retired teacher, at their home, pretending to be officials from the pension fund. They falsely claimed that the victim was entitled to receive outstanding pension benefits.

The scammers instructed the victim to add them as a friend on the LINE application to send a link to install an application. After installing the app and communicating with the fraudsters, the victim’s phone malfunctioned.

Once the phone regained functionality, the victim noticed something was amiss and checked their banking app, discovering that approximately 1 million baht (US$30,000) had been transferred to the fraudsters’ accounts in two separate transactions. The victim promptly reported the incident to the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, leading to the eventual arrest of the suspect.

During the investigation, Panarat confessed to selling her bank account to the call centre gang. She later crossed the border illegally through natural channels in Aranyaprathet, Sa Kaeo province, to work for the gang, enticed by promises of a monthly salary of 40,000 baht (US$1,200), along with free accommodation and meals. However, upon arrival, the conditions were far from what was promised.

Scammer arrest

The suspect described being closely monitored daily, forbidden from leaving unaccompanied, and confined to a small room with only a single old fan. Panarat elaborated on the nature of the work, which involved making fraudulent calls to Thai citizens from morning until night.

“When I arrived, it was nothing like what was promised. Every day, we were closely watched and couldn’t go anywhere alone. We were locked in a small room with only an old fan.

“The work was to make phone calls to defraud Thai people from morning till night. The food was often spoiled, and if anyone tried to escape and got caught, they would be chained, beaten, and in the worst cases, electrocuted until they passed out.”

These harsh conditions drove Panarat and others to escape back to Thailand, which ultimately led to her arrest. She was handed over to the investigators at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau for further legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.