Fake cops dial up the drama: Thai woman’s 800,000 baht loss to scam gang
A Thai woman cried foul to the Royal Thai Police (RTP) following a near loss of 800,000 baht to fake cops part of a call centre scam gang. The gang members, posing as fake cops and officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), threatened the grade C7 female public servant with involvement in a mass murder case and demanded to inspect her bank account.
At 10.30am today, at the Central Investigation Bureau (RTP), Thamanun Tangtim, also known as Ja Kings Saphan Mai, escorted the alleged victim, referred to as A (pseudonym), who works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, to meet with Deputy Detective Chaiyachit Kemkasit, the Fourth Investigation Division Commander.
A sought help after the scam gang, pretending to be Chiang Mai police officers, deceived her into transferring almost 800,000 baht (US$22,000).
The Thai woman said that on October 17, someone called her, claiming to be a Chiang Mai police officer and ONCB official. They informed her that her financial transactions were linked to a suspect in a mass murder case, and she needed to check her bank account.
If she refused, the fake cops threatened to proceed with the case. They also sent images of various official documents and threatening messages warning her not to tell anyone, or else she would be charged with disclosing government secrets, reported KhaoSod.
During that time, A was unable to access her bank’s application, leading her to believe her account was seized. This convinced her that the caller was indeed an official, and she complied with all their demands, beginning with transferring 30,000 to 40,000 baht from her account, followed by withdrawing money from her credit card and transferring another 750,000 baht, totalling nearly 800,000 baht.
Case stalled
The scammer claimed that once the inspection was completed, they would transfer the money back. However, they eventually went silent, leading her to believe she had been duped. She then filed a complaint at the Pak Klong Rangsit Police Station and coordinated with several banks to recover her money.
“This matter has caused me great distress. I am in debt of over 750,000 baht on my credit card. The case has not progressed as it should, so I decided to seek help from the Central Investigation Bureau.”
Preliminarily, the investigators coordinated with the Pak Klong Rangsit Police Station to expedite the case and forwarded the matter to the commanding officer for further action against the fake cops and scam gang.
