Prachin Buri school reports parent for alleged 12,500 baht fee fraud

A prestigious private school in Prachin Buri reported a case of school fee payment fraud to the police. A parent allegedly used a counterfeit bank transfer slip to feign a payment of 12,500 baht for school fees, when only 1 baht was transferred. Despite not settling the outstanding payment, the parent continues to send her child to school.

The parent was suspected of intentionally committing the fraud, as there were five previous transactions of 1 baht each before the actual payment day. The school fee is 12,500 baht (US$362), but the account balance showed a deposit of only 1 baht.

The school’s accountant, present during the incident on December 18 last year, recounted the events. That day was stipulated for parents to pay the term fees.

The parent in question made the payment as usual. The accountant gave them a bill and the school’s account number for the transfer.

The parent took approximately two minutes to make the transaction and handed the transfer slip to the accountant, who checked the time and amount, and then took a picture of the slip for record-keeping. Later in the evening, while reconciling the bills, they discovered that the account had only received 1 baht from the parent. The school contacted the parent who claimed a banking error and promised to check, reported KhaoSod.

After about an hour, the parent contacted the school, claiming their account had been frozen and they couldn’t verify the transaction. They promised to pay in cash but denied falsifying the slip. The school gave the parent a 10-day grace period to settle the payment but saw no action. Therefore, the school decided to report the case to the police.

Fraudulent slip

Upon further investigation, the school found that the parent had made multiple transfers of baht into their account. The originating account matched that of the parent. On December 18, last year, at 7.56am, another 1 baht was transferred. The school speculated that the parents had prepared the fraudulent slip beforehand.

Despite knowing the school had reported the case, the parent pleaded with the school not to proceed with the case. The school, however, stood firm, having tried multiple times to contact the parent for a discussion.

The parent continues to send their child to school every day but shows no intention of discussing or settling the matter. The school remains committed to pursuing the case.

The school advises those who receive transfers or merchants to verify every transfer slip because the fraudulent act was well planned and executed within two minutes in front of the school’s accountant. As a preliminary measure, the school still allows the child of the parent in question to attend school and provides an opportunity to pay the fees. If the payment is made, the school will withdraw the police report.