South Thailand: Woman arrested for loan scam in Chumphon province

A woman from Chumphon province, southern Thailand, was arrested for a loan scam yesterday.

The scam victim borrowed money from a personal Facebook account for 6,000 baht on November 4, 2022. It was determined that the loan scam victim must pay a floating interest of 600 baht per day before 4pm each day for a total of 10 days. Late payments would be met with a fine of 50 baht per hour, or 500 baht per day.

By the end of the period, the victim had to pay the principal plus interest with the total amount being 6,600 baht, which the loan scam victim was unable to pay on time. Interest calculated from that paid from the loan date until December 31 last year amounted to approximately 226,920 baht. Alternatively, the interest rate is calculated at approximately 300% per month.

Police Colonel Ukkrit Srinithiworawong dispatched officers to the area to investigate until they found a gang network that gave out high-interest loans in the vicinity of Chumphon Province. They often have the habit of posting on their Facebook page to lure customers to borrow money through the social media platform.

The gang lent money only to good-looking women in the area. They do not fear being exposed as the victims are afraid of being harassed and shamed online if they were unable to pay back the money according to the prescribed conditions.

Arrest and investigation

Cyber police collected evidence from their investigation and requested approval for a search warrant from the Lang Suan Provincial Court. The owner of the Facebook page, 24 year old Sirirat, was arrested in her home on Pracharat Road, Khan Ngoen Subdistrict, Lang Suan District, Chumphon Province, on the charge of a loan scam by charging interest exceeding the legal rate and operating a personal loan business unlawfully. Documents and online chat evidence were seized to aid prosecution, reported Channel 3 Plus.

Sirirat confessed to all the charges, admitting that she had been operating the illegal loan for about a year, borrowing money from other sources to give out the high-interest loans. From the evidence, it was found that hundreds were defrauded in the scheme. In addition, it was also found that Sirirat has a criminal history where photos of victims who refused to pay up were posted online and shamed.

The police arrested Sirirat and sent her along with the seized items to investigators for further prosecution.