Lawyer raises the bar after losing 1.1 million baht to scam

A well-known lawyer in Ratchaburi province staged another protest outside a local bank after losing over 1.1 million baht to a call centre scam. The lawyer, who had previously used extreme measures to protest, threatened to take drastic actions if the bank did not return his money.

During his last protest, the lawyer had poured poo over himself in front of the bank. He returned to the bank today as promised, where he was met by nearly ten police officers from the Ratchaburi City Police Station, who were present to observe and prevent any incidents.

The lawyer read out a statement recounting how he was tricked into transferring money by scammers posing as a parcel delivery company. They contacted him, claiming they needed to repay 1,000 baht for damaged documents and instructed him to download an application to process the refund.

Upon downloading the app, his phone went dark, only allowing a facial scan before the screen shut off for about ten minutes. When it turned back on, he discovered his entire account balance of over 1.1 million baht had been transferred out.

The lawyer had previously given a statement to the cyber police, who, after investigating, concluded that the bank’s failure to install adequate anti-hacking systems was at fault. They recommended he file a civil lawsuit against the bank but cautioned that he might only recover half of the stolen amount since the money had already been transferred abroad.

The lawyer expressed his dire financial situation, stating he had no money to file a civil lawsuit and was struggling with daily expenses. He revealed that the 8,000 baht donated by well-wishers was already exhausted, and the initial 30,000 baht compensation from the bank would only sustain him for a few days, which he planned to return.

Extreme measures

Additionally, he demanded that the bank manager come out to receive his statement and provide an immediate answer on whether they would return his money. If the bank failed to comply, he threatened to take extreme measures in front of the bank to ensure they felt the impact.

Police officers tried to persuade the lawyer to calm down and return home to await the bank’s response, but he refused. A search revealed he only had medication on him. The lawyer remained outside the bank, speaking with the police mediators for nearly an hour. However, no bank official came out to receive the statement or negotiate with the lawyer.

Appearing to concede, the lawyer seemed to prepare to return home but refused to let the police escort him. In a moment when the police were distracted, he retrieved a hidden sewing awl from his sock and injured himself.

The police administered first aid, and medical personnel later arrived to treat his wounds and transport him to the hospital, reported KhaoSod.