Thai man tricked in fake money laundering case, rescued in nick of time
An elderly Thai man in Chiang Mai narrowly avoided being scammed out of over 165,000 baht in gold and jewellery after cybercriminals posing as police officers accused him of involvement in money laundering.
The 76 year old victim was contacted via phone yesterday, December 11, by someone claiming to be from the telecom company AIS, who falsely informed him that he was under investigation for financial crimes. The caller then instructed him to add a fake LINE account impersonating the Ang Thong Provincial Police Station.
Claiming there was an arrest warrant against him, the fraudster demanded that he sell all his valuables, including a gold-encased Buddha necklace, diamond earrings, and two diamond rings, and transfer the funds for inspection. The total value was estimated at 165,500 baht.
While en route to a gold shop inside a Chiang Mai shopping mall, the scammer continued video-calling him to monitor his movements. Fortunately, officers from the Anti-Online Scam Centre (ACSC) were able to intercept the case in time.
Officers located the victim on the third floor of the mall, informed him of the scam, and prevented the transaction. Despite repeated calls from the fraudster during the intervention, police documented the incident and collected evidence for further investigation.
In a related story, Samut Prakan police rescued a 20 year old university student on December 3, who was tricked by a call centre scam gang into believing he was involved in a money laundering case.
The gang instructed him to transfer money and isolate himself in a rented room to stage a fake arrest, in an attempt to extort money from his family.
The student’s mother alerted police after finding a handwritten note on his desk reading: “Involved in money laundering. Must report to DSI and AMLO today.”
Police traced his location using phone data and found him alone and unharmed in an apartment in Bang Chalong subdistrict. He was safely reunited with his mother the same night.
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