Thai woman arrested in Hat Yai for online fraud

Police in Songkhla apprehended a Thai woman linked to an online fraud network, where victims were conned into transferring money for goods they never received. The suspect, already facing four arrest warrants, was detained in Hat Yai.

Police teams from three units collaborated to arrest 31 year old Wichuda, the owner of a mule account, in the Suthiphatra alley within the Hat Yai municipality. She has been implicated in multiple fraud cases, and the arrest was executed by officers from the Rangae Police Station, Narathiwat province, in conjunction with investigation teams from Hat Yai and Songkhla provincial police.

Four arrest warrants for fraud, issued by the Criminal Court and Narathiwat Court, were released on November 10, January 16, and May 1, respectively.

The investigation revealed that victims were deceived into making online purchases, transferring money to Wichuda’s account but never receiving the products. Wichuda claimed that she was unaware her name was being used in fraudulent activities, blaming her ex-boyfriend for the misuse of her documents.

According to Wichuda, her former partner, who she dated for a year before their breakup, took her identification documents and provided them to an associate involved in illegal activities. She only discovered the misuse of her name when complaints were filed and police summonses were issued.

“My ex-boyfriend used my name and documents without my knowledge.”

Wichuda added that she was unaware of the extent of the fraud until the police investigation brought it to light.

The police have charged Wichuda and transferred her to Rangae Police Station in Narathiwat, where several victims had reported being scammed through online transactions, reported KhaoSod.

In related news, the rise in the use of new, convenient, and fast payment channels has been matched by growing concerns about real-time payment scams, as revealed by a global consumer fraud research study conducted by Fico, the US-based data analytics and credit scoring company.