Chinese woman’s 14-year sister act scam nets 2 million baht pension

An astonishing case of identity fraud came to light when a Chinese woman in the city of Wuhan, China, impersonated her dead sister for 14 years, including through her retirement to claim a pension of 2 million baht. The deception came to an end when the authorities uncovered the ruse and sentenced her to imprisonment.

The woman surnamed Zan, managed to conceal her sister’s death in a car accident in 1993 and took over her job at the factory where her sister had worked. Over 14 years, not a single person suspected the switch. When Zan retired, she received a pension, insured by the factory, amounting to approximately 2 million baht.

However, her freedom was short-lived, as police officials apprehended her and charged her with the crime. During the trial, Zan confessed and voluntarily accepted her punishment, agreeing to compensate the company for the years of deceit.

The People’s Court of Pohua District, Wuhan, stated that Zan had concealed the truth to unlawfully possess and use the identity of the deceased to defraud public property. Her actions constituted a criminal offence of fraud, reported Sanook.

After considering the circumstances, the judge sentenced her to three years in prison and fined her approximately 125,000 baht.

In related news, online fraud damage in April was reported at 110 million baht daily, indicating a 26% decrease from the 149 million baht experienced daily in March. This significant reduction is a result of the intensified crackdown on online fraud by authorities.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin delegated several organisations on April 1 to yield tangible results from their efforts to tackle the widespread online fraud within 30 days. In response, the number of online fraud complaints in April increased to 992, compared to the 855 recorded in March.

In other news, Google’s 2023 Bad Apps Report ranked Thailand among the top three countries in the Asia-Pacific region with a significant spike in financial fraud scams last year.