Fake fortune teller uses nude images to blackmail 11 year old girl
An 11 year old girl and her parents sought help after their daughter was blackmailed by a fake fortune teller she met online three years ago. The blackmailer lured her into sending nude images and forwarded them to her friends.
The family reached out to Pavena Hongsakun, the President of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, who then referred the case to Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police.
According to the report, the scam began when the victim was eight years old and met the scammer, who posed as a fake fortune teller on Instagram. The scammer claimed she could predict the victim’s future career but required a nude picture to provide a detailed reading.
At first, the girl did not believe it. She asked the fortune teller to send a picture of her face to verify her identity. However, instead of sending her photo, the scammer sent nude pictures of other teenage girls to convince the victim that others were also using her fortune-telling services.
The girl believed it was safe because the fortune teller was a woman and sent her the pictures. The scammer also requested a picture of her ID card, stating that it was necessary for her predictions.
The scammer gave a very short prediction saying the girl would become a doctor as she dreamed and then disappeared.
On September 3 last year, a strange Facebook account sent nude pictures and ID card pictures to the girl via her inbox. The account threatened her to send more naked pictures. If she did not, the pictures would be forwarded to other people.
The victim reported the matter to her parents, who then complained to Bangkok Yai Police Station. During the investigation, the scammer sent another message requesting more nudes on January 11. The victim ignored it. Consequently, on Thursday, February 9, the victim’s photos were sent to her classmates with a message labelling her a “prostitute.”
Big Joke told Channel 3 that the case violated the Children Act and Computer Act, as it involved the importation and dissemination of child pornography online.
He also explained that the number of child sexual abuse cases in Thailand has been on the rise, especially between 2020 and 2023, with over two million cases reported.
Last year, a teenage girl in Prathum Thani province near Bangkok committed suicide by hanging herself after a man allegedly blackmailed her over nude pictures. The scammer, 27 year old man Piyabutr Urai-ngam, was later arrested but he denied all allegations.
The two cases shared the similarity of how scammers approached each victim, contacting via online channels and social media. Many other people of all ages and gender fall victim to online scams and urge the relevant authorities to get rid of suspicious social media accounts before another tragedy happens.
