scammers
- Asia
Indonesian shamans scam victims with ‘magic money’ schemes, face murder charges
Shamans posing as spiritual figures in Indonesia have swindled fearful citizens out of their life’s savings, leaving them destitute and shamed. Scammers promising to turn small investments into substantial riches have been widely circulated on social media sites like Facebook, reaching over 1.4 million viewers. This has led to a rise in fraudulent activities involving shamans which, in turn, has…
- Crime News
RTP warns public to be vigilant ahead of Songkran after 312 million baht stolen in online scams
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) cautioned the public to be extra vigilant ahead of the Songkran Festival after scammers last week fraudulently stole over 310 million baht in online extortion. The RTP reported over 5,300 fraud cases were reported by victims last week, with most complaints related to online shopping and bank transfer scams. Yesterday, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sompong Chingduang,…
- Crime News
Scammers nab 16 million baht from Chon Buri businessman through app
Thailand’s scammers have struck again, nabbing 16 million baht from a Chon Buri businessman through an app. They used what they claimed was an Internal Trade Department app to take control of the victim’s phone. The victim, 40 year old Watchara Srichuengcharoenchai, said one of the scammers called him on Friday, claiming to be an official from Internal Trade Department.…
- Tourism News
Tourist police warn travellers of Thai scams
Spiderman’s uncle once said, “With great tourism, comes great scamability.” We might be paraphrasing a bit, but as Thailand is welcoming international tourists once again pouring into the country, the tourist police are warning that perhaps not-so-welcomed scammers are also returning to prey on fresh foreign victims. The commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau says that they are increasing police presence…
- Bangkok News
Immigration cracks down on illegal foreigners ahead of APEC
With the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit getting underway, the Immigration Bureau is increasing security at all international airports in Thailand. The crackdown has already netted several foreign scammers hiding out within the kingdom. They are vowing increased scrutiny of those entering the country and a closer watch over suspicious foreigners who are already here. Immigration authorities have already blocked…
- Thailand News
Life-Saving Tips While Travelling in Thailand
Thailand is one of the most popular destinations in the world for travelers. Visitors from different cultures and countries head here to sample all that the ‘Land of Smiles’ has to offer. But planning a trip properly isn’t as simple as buying a plane ticket and booking a hotel. Visitors to Thailand should also be aware of some things that…
- Thailand News
Cyber police work with Thai mobile providers to block scam call centres
The Police Cyber Taskforce in Thailand have been working with the leading Thai mobile operators to prevent contact from scam call centres. From now on, Thai mobile users will be able to report the ‘scam’ phone numbers directly to the mobile operators, and the PCT will ban those numbers within 72 hours. Thai media has been reporting about a series…
- Crime News
Scam bam thank you mam! Thai PBS anchor scammed out of 1 million baht.
A Thai PBS TV anchor is the latest high-profile victim of phone scammers in Thailand. Thai PBS is a government-owned public broadcaster. Pattima Komolbawonkul posted on her Facebook that she had lost 1 million baht through a phone scam. She claims that the scammer posed as a Thai police officer from the Ranong police (just north of Phang Nga province).…
- Thailand News
Call centre scammers make deepfake video of Chon Buri police officer to lure in victims
Scam call centres are now using ‘deepfake’ videos to make their scams look more realistic. In a ‘deepfake’ clip circling online, a policeman from Chon Buri appears to be talking, but his strange mouth movements give away that the video is not real. A netizen posted the clip online to warn others not to fall for the scam. The clip…
- Thailand News
Pantip admin seeks help from netizens, after scammers swindle bank account
After losing all of his money to a scam call centre, one unfortunate Pantip admin has sought help from the best source he knows: Thai netizens. The male admin — who goes by the alias “Latte” — recently shared his sorry story on Pantip’s official Facebook page, saying he had 0.00 baht left in his bank account after the scam…
- Thailand News
Thais being trafficked to Myanmar rescued from house on “No Man’s Land”
Eleven Thais were reportedly lured into work for a call centre scam and were rescued by Thai authorities, with some of them being held at a home on a small, isolated island known as “No Man’s Land” near Myanmar. Two Chinese men were arrested for allegedly luring the Thais to work for illegal call centres in Myanmar. Four of the…
- Thailand News
Thai and Cambodian officers raid two offices of alleged call centre scams
Thai and Cambodian authorities raided two offices of an alleged call centre scam operation in Cambodia. 61 Thai and Chinese suspects were arrested. The officer also found a dialogue or conversation script that each scammer followed and used to lure victims into transferring money. Yesterday, the Thai Police Cyber Taskforce and officers in Cambodia raided two suspected scam call centre…
- Crime News
Man arrested for allegedly blackmailing student who later committed suicide
A 26 year old was arrested for allegedly blackmailing high school students which is believed to have led to the student’s suicide. The man allegedly made a fake account online, identifying himself as a teenage girl and luring students into sending sexually explicit videos, then demanding money, threatening to release the videos. Police say they believe the man was targeting…
- Thailand News
Criminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket
Scammers went after a Swiss national living in Phuket when they pretended to be police, and told him he had to pay a fine for receiving funds through illegal activities. The “police” contacted the man, Alain, saying a FedEx package couldn’t be delivered. Since Alain was expecting a FedEx package, he listened. The story then changed to say Bangkok police…
- Tourism News
Thailand Pass scam: Authorities warn not to pay third party
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs put out a warning today via their spokesperson urging people not to be taken in by any scam attempting to charge you for registering for the Thailand Pass. The announcement came on the heels of the Covid-19 task force investigating reports of people claiming to have paid registration fees in order to apply for the…
- World News
Covid-19 sees a rise in dangerous scams in India
While Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across India, some devious scammers saw the desperation of a pandemic crisis as an opportunity. India has frequently been known to be a hotbed for ripoffs and scams, and the Coronavirus pandemic has only worsened the situation. In December an Indian call centre made US $14 million by cheating 4,500 Americans whom they tricked into…
- Crime News
6 Pakistani nationals arrested for convenience store scam
Police in Chiang Rai have arrested 6 Pakistani nationals charged with scamming convenience stores around northern Thailand. Thai Residents reports that the men would hand over a 1,000 baht note to pay for an item in a convenience store and receive change. They would then claim they didn’t want the item after all and ask for their money back. The…
- Crime News
Cyber police nail Facebook ‘fake job’ hackers
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times Thailand’s Cyber Police have arrested two hackers who stole personal data from Facebook and conned victims out of money. The scammers posted ads for jobs to entice victims into applying and divulging data from their ID cards, their phone numbers and other personal information. The scammers got close to 34 million baht. Complaints from Facebook users…
