Thai man arrested for Facebook phone scam in central Thailand

Police apprehended a young man at a railway station for allegedly selling mobile phones through a Facebook page, claiming his ex-girlfriend misused his bank account to deceive victims into transferring money without delivering the goods.

The suspect, a 21 year old man named Denondai, was arrested by police at Nakhon Pathom Railway Station. The arrest was carried out by Pakapol Suchon, Phakol Suchon, Krit Theerawetsuwan and Kla Sombatpiboon under the warrant issued by the Nakhon Nayok Provincial Court on September 22 last year for charges of fraud and computer-related deception.

In 2023, several victims reported being duped into buying mobile phones through a Facebook page advertising phones at unusually low prices. Upon investigation, police found that the bank account receiving the funds belonged to Denondai. Victims transferred money for the phones but never received the goods, and communication with the seller was promptly blocked. The total financial damage amounted to tens of thousands of baht.

Police discovered that Denondai was travelling by train to Nakhon Pathom for business, leading to his capture. Denondai was subsequently questioned and claimed that in 2023, he had a relationship with an unnamed woman. She had asked him to open a bank account for her online mobile phone shop.

Believing it was a harmless favour, Denondai complied. However, shortly after opening the account, the woman ended their relationship, and he forgot about the account he had opened for her. This account was then used to commit the fraud.

“I thought opening a bank account for my girlfriend wouldn’t be a problem but after she broke up with me, I forgot about it. I didn’t know it would be used for such a crime.”

Denondai was taken to Banna Police Station in Nakhon Nayok for further legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.

In related news, police arrested two brothers for a Facebook scam operation, with fake profiles of local celebrities to fraudulently solicit donations, claiming that an 8,999 baht donation was essential for the purchase of hospital equipment.