Krabi mother scammed twice while trying to bail out son

A mother from Krabi has been left devastated after being scammed twice while trying to secure bail for her son, costing her 100,000 baht and leaving her in debt. Her son remains in prison and she is pleading for help.

Lawyer Vichupan Chitpakdi, accompanied by 45 year old Boonta, approached reporters at 5pm yesterday, September 19, in Nonthaburi to report that a woman named Rung had deceived her by claiming she could facilitate her son’s bail.

Boonta’s 19 year old son, Teppan, was arrested on January 8 for opening a mule account while at his girlfriend’s house in Surat Thani. He was taken into custody by the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) and transferred to Bangkok for further legal proceedings, where he remains in Ratchada Criminal Court’s custody.

Boonta explained that her son had been tricked into opening the account while looking for a job at a restaurant in Phuket. The scammer promised to pay him through this new bank account. However, instead of securing employment, her son ended up being implicated in criminal activities.

In February, 35 year old Rung befriended Boonta and claimed she had connections with influential figures and politicians. Rung promised that these connections could help secure her son’s bail and mitigate the charges but required a fee of 125,000 baht—100,000 baht for the influential figures and 25,000 baht for the TCSD officers.

Desperate to free her son, Boonta borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates of 10% to 20%, managing to gather 98,000 baht. She handed the money to Rung, hoping it would expedite her son’s release. However, in July, when they went to Ratchada Criminal Court to process the bail, they were informed that the investigation officer opposed the bail request. This raised Boonta’s suspicions, and upon questioning, Rung began to evade her queries.

Boonta continued to demand the return of her money from Rung, who kept assuring her that the bail process was still underway. Eventually, Rung became unresponsive, and despite Boonta’s persistent efforts, her son has yet to be granted bail.

Previous scam

Adding to her distress, Boonta revealed that she had previously been deceived by another lawyer who promised to help with her son’s bail for a fee of 10,000 baht. After paying the money, she discovered that no lawyer had ever contacted her son regarding the bail, realising she had been scammed for the first time.

Through tears, Boonta shared her hardships, stating that she earns a daily wage of 150 baht through odd jobs, while her husband suffers from heart disease and has undergone two surgeries, with another still needed. She expressed her deep sorrow over her son’s imprisonment and the additional burden of being cheated. She appealed to Rung to return her money due to her significant debt.

Lawyer Vichupan explained that Rung’s fraudulent activities involved falsely claiming connections with influential figures, including his name, which he was unaware of until August 22. On that day, Boonta visited her son in prison and revealed she had paid 98,000 baht, believing in the influential names Rung had mentioned.

Vichupan further stated that Rung continues to solicit donations under the pretence of using the funds to support individuals filing complaints against political parties. However, investigations into the donation funds and bank statements revealed discrepancies, indicating personal misuse of the money. Rung’s actions may violate the Public Solicitation Act and constitute fraud.

Regarding taking legal action, Vichupan advised Boonta against filing a police report, fearing injustice and delays due to Rung’s connections with influential people. Instead, they have gathered all evidence to directly file a lawsuit in court through the lawyer’s authority, reported KhaoSod.