Thai bank customer’s account drained from 300,000 to 5,000 baht

A Facebook user’s shocking discovery that her bank account balance plummeted from 300,000 baht to just 5,811 baht after 20 unauthorised withdrawals sparked widespread concern over bank security. The user’s post, which included screenshots of the transactions, has gone viral, calling into question the safety of depositing money in banks and urging a swift explanation from the financial institution.

In today’s increasingly digital world, the spectre of financial fraud looms large, with scammers continuously honing their craft despite efforts to curb their activities. In a disturbing development, a bank customer recently fell prey to a series of unauthorised transactions that drained her account from a healthy 300,000 baht (US$8,320) to a meagre 5,811 baht (US$160). The incident has left many questioning the security measures in place to protect depositors’ funds, reported KhaoSod.

The affected individual, who took to social media to voice her ordeal, recounted how she received a flurry of messages notifying her of the rapid withdrawals.

“What’s happening? A sudden barrage of money left my account. I usually don’t keep much money there, just enough for paying employee salaries.”

The customer acted swiftly, contacting the bank to freeze her account, which fortunately prevented further losses. Nevertheless, the incident left her distressed and disillusioned with banking security, given the substantial amount of money that vanished.

This alarming situation quickly captured the public’s attention, with the post being shared over 10,000 times. People expressed their dismay and called for the bank to provide a detailed account of the incident.

In related news, Thailand has been plunged into a cybercrime crisis, with online fraud cases skyrocketing to a staggering 50.87 billion baht in damages over the last 21 months.

Deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang disclosed on December 7, 2023, that the Royal Thai Police website, www.thaipoliceonline.com, has been inundated with a whopping 405,194 fraud complaints from March 1 2022 to November 30, 2023. Astonishingly, a staggering 375,986 of these complaints were directly linked to online fraud.