South African tourist caught in Phuket insurance scam

PHUKET: A South African tourist was arrested after he was caught trying to scam his insurance company on Saturday.

“On Saturday afternoon, Laurie Viljoen Botha, 33, filed a police complaint claiming that items in his hotel room at Sino Imperial Hotel in Phuket Town had been stolen. Additionally, he claimed that he had been robbed while walking on the street near the hotel,” said Phuket Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit.

“In total, Mr Botha claimed that he had been robbed of 13 items worth about 150,000 baht.”

After receiving the report, police went to the hotel to review CCTV footage and question witnesses about the alleged crime.

“We became wary of Mr Botha’s story after our investigation yielded no evidence of the described robberies,” said Maj Urumporn.

Police then turned the spotlight back on Mr Botha, who eventually confessed that he had lied about the crimes.

“Mr Botha confessed that he had made up the story in order to file a compensation claim with his insurance company,” Maj Urumporn explained.

“He was charged with presenting false information and taken to Phuket City Police Station.”

— Kongleaphy Keam