Retired soldier left with 30 baht after wife tricked by loan scam
A retired soldier was in tears at a police station in Rayong yesterday, January 26, after his wife was tricked by online scammers into transferring the family’s last savings, leaving them no money even to buy food.
The man, who travelled from Lampang to Ban Chang Police Station in Rayong province, said his wife had been lured by a fraudulent Facebook ad claiming to offer online loans.
The man said that he and his wife intended to borrow 200,000 baht to build a home for their 7 year old daughter, but ended up being scammed out of 21,450 baht, the family’s remaining funds, leaving them with just 30 baht.
According to the man, the scammers first requested a 450 baht processing fee, followed by another 12,000 baht, claiming it was for insurance and handling costs. When the promised loan never arrived, he decided to travel to Rayong himself to follow up.
On the way, the scammers called again, convincing his wife to transfer an additional 9,000 baht. He told her to stop sending money and save what little they had left for food.
When he arrived in Ban Chang district on January 25, he tracked down the banner featured in the scam’s Facebook post. It turned out to belong to a legitimate loan company, but the scammers had digitally altered the text in the online image to deceive victims.
He tried to rescan the QR code the scammers had provided in hopes of gathering evidence, but it no longer worked. By then, all channels of communication had been blocked by the scammers. With no money left and no way to return home, he went to Ban Chang Police Station to file a report.
Officers there advised him to also file a report with the police in Lampang, where the transfers were made, and said they would coordinate with the relevant station.
CH7 News reported that police and locals later raised 2,000 baht to cover the family’s travel and food costs so they could return home safely.
In similar news, a widow from Nonthaburi filed a complaint with a justice foundation after she was allegedly deceived by a man she met on a dating app, resulting in the loss of nearly 500,000 baht in cash and valuables.
