Thai cyber police bust fraud gang posing as Citibank

Thai cyber police dismantled a fraud network posing as a well-known bank, luring victims with promises of high returns on minimal investments. A victim lost over 1.1 million baht after being deceived by the scam.

A stranger contacted the victim via the LINE messaging app yesterday, sending a link that led to an advertisement claiming to be from Citibank. The ad promised a return of 30,000 baht per month on an initial investment of only 1,000 baht. Enticed by the prospect of high returns, the victim transferred 1,000 baht to the scammer’s account.

The fraudster then messaged back, warning that a 1,000 baht investment was highly risky and recommended additional investment. Persuaded by the scammer’s claims, the victim transferred another 8,999 baht.

The scammer continued to convince the victim to invest more by promising substantial returns worth hundreds of thousands of baht. This led the victim to transfer an additional 99,678 baht.

The scam escalated as the fraudster claimed that the total investment was still insufficient to withdraw any money. The victim was persuaded to transfer 124,379 baht more.

After these transactions, the scammer informed the victim that their investment had generated a profit of 2,000,000 baht. However, to withdraw the money, a fee of 46,642 baht was required. The victim, still believing the scam, transferred the fee.

Processing fees

Next, the scammer claimed that an income tax of 72,555 baht had to be paid. The victim complied and transferred the amount. The scammer then deceitfully stated there was an error and requested another transfer of 72,554 baht.

Following this, the fraudster asked for an additional 100,000 baht for a trainer’s fee and 120,909 baht for further tax payments. The victim continued to comply.

The scam persisted with the fraudster requesting 60,499 baht for processing fees and another 80,000 baht for VIP-level processing, claiming the large sum of money required special handling. After these payments, the scammer falsely indicated another error, leading the victim to transfer another 80,000 baht.

Starting to suspect foul play, the victim consulted friends and realised the scam. In total, the victim transferred money 18 times, amounting to 1,107,505 baht. The victim then reported the case to the police for investigation.

Police Major General Worawat Watnakornbancha, head of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, ordered an investigation. Officers gathered sufficient evidence and obtained court warrants for several members of the fraud network.

Adichat Amornpradit, an officer specialising in news analysis and special tools, yesterday, August 28, led a police team to track down one of the suspects, 22 year old Ratchanath. She was hiding in the Eua-Arthorn housing estate in Soi Wat Koo, Bang Phut, Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi province. The police arrested her while she was standing by the roadside in front of the housing estate.

The suspect was charged with colluding to defraud the public by impersonating others and introducing false information into a computer system, causing potential harm to individuals. She was handed over to the investigators for further legal proceedings.

Police are working to apprehend the other suspects still at large, reported KhaoSod.