Accommodation scam totalling 19,000 baht thwarted by police

Bangkok Metropolitan Police arrested a 20 year old woman for allegedly creating fake accommodation booking pages to scam and defraud victims. Despite her denial of any wrongdoing, the Thai authorities affirm that the evidence against the woman, Kanyawee Prompichai, is substantial.

Police Lieutenant General Theeradech Thamsutee, Chief of the Special Branch Division, along with his team, apprehended Kanyawee under two arrest warrants issued by the Min Buri Criminal Court, dated April 25.

The two charges include “fraud against the public” and “inputting false information into computer systems which is likely to cause damage to the public.”

The arrest took place in front of room number 2899/441 at the Kensington Project on Phaholyothin Road 49/1, Chatuchak District, Bangkok, at around 6.45pm yesterday.

The victim reported to the police that in September 2023, after they had searched for accommodations in Khao Yai and Hua Hin on Facebook and came across the pages MYSkhaoyai and Wala Hua Hin Villa, each with about 24,000 followers.

The victim was interested and proceeded to book and pay for the reservations, transferring 5,800 baht and 4,500 baht to the suspect’s account. Upon arrival at the hotel, they were informed that there was no record of their booking.

The victim presented conversation evidence and payment receipts, leading to the discovery of the fraudulent act. The investigation further revealed that the suspect had deceived other victims with fake bookings, with additional reported losses of 3,500 baht and 5,200 baht, totalling an estimated damage of around 19,000 baht.

Following her arrest, Kanyawee was taken into custody for further legal proceedings at the Kannayao Police Station, reported by KhaoSod.

The police’s prompt action underscores their commitment to upholding the law and protecting citizens from online fraudulent activities.

This case serves as a cautionary tale for the public to remain vigilant when making online transactions and to verify the credibility of online platforms before making any payments.