62 year old woman commits suicide in Chiang Mai after 5.2 million baht scam by call centre fraudsters

A 62 year old woman took her own life in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai after she was deceived by a group of call centre fraudsters. A financial loss of 5.2 million baht was involved. The case propelled Sector 5 Police into a fervent pursuit of 14 more suspects connected to the case.

The deceased, 62 year old Yupin, was found dead, burnt beside the wall of her home. An investigation of her mobile phone revealed she had been lured by a group of call centre fraudsters to invest and undertake tasks on the online platform MJINTONG, leading her to lose more than 5.2 million baht. This shocking discovery was unveiled today at 11am by the Sector 5 Police.

The scam involved persuading Yupin to invest money and execute tasks in exchange for lucrative returns. Her initial investment of 30,000 baht, for instance, promised a reward of 899 baht. This ultimately led her to continuously transfer more money in hopes of increasing her income.

Evidence shows that the group of call centre fraudsters used a tiered account system to manage the money. The victim’s funds were first transferred to a level 1 account, then moved on to a level 2 account, totalling 21 accounts.

Among these, ten were level 1 accounts and eleven were level 2 accounts. Some of the victim’s money was also found transferred to a level 3 account, which is currently under further investigation.

To date, six individuals associated with the case have been apprehended, comprising three Thais from the level 1 account group and another three from the level 2 account group, two of whom are Thai and one a foreign national. The remaining 14 suspects are still at large, reported Khaosod.

Increasing fraud cases

The increasing number of fraud cases has been alarming. Sector 5 Police reported that more than 13,000 cases of funds being transferred to fraudulent accounts have been filed, leading to the freeze of over 5,000 accounts. In Chiang Mai alone, there have been 15,000 cases with more than 3,600 accounts frozen. The authorities are extending their investigations to other provinces to curb this menace.

In related news, on October 15 a student from Nakhon Si Thammarat province ended her life following a scam that involved the purchase of an iPhone. Read more about this story HERE.

If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.

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