Gang of schoolboy scammers stole millions from Facebook users in Thailand

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Alert over bogus e-wallet transactions

By THE NATION

 

 

THE PUBLIC has been warned to beware of hackers accessing Facebook accounts to dupe others to send money using e-wallets.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) issued the alert on Monday citing a recent case where a group of 20 youths used Internet cafes and computer game shops in Chanthaburi to dupe people nationwide of Bt7 million. 

 

An expert from True Corporation told the press conference that people should not share personal information on social media or use easy-to-guess passwords. 

 

The DSI’s Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime director Pol Lt Col Wichai Suwanprasert, said the unnamed leader of the gang, which mostly comprised of boys aged 15-16 years old, had been involved in the crime from high school through to university. 

 

Wichai said the gang hacked or forged other people’s Facebook pages to dupe the victims’ friends by offering cheap products online but failed to deliver the goods, or by pretending to be a company offering lucky draw prizes that require a fee. 

 

He said many of the Internet cafes or computer game shops did not keep records of the users’ browser history despite the law requiring that the information should be kept for 90 days.

 

The gang also set up a bogus job-offering page to have job-seeking victims work for them by opening bank accounts to receive money from the victims, which would then be transferred to the gang’s e-wallet. The job-seeking victims got paid at Bt500 to Bt1,000 daily for unknowingly breaking the law on the gang’s behalf. 

 

Many other victims were lured to buy cell phone SIM cards for “the job” while the gang used the victims’ ID card numbers to apply for e-wallets.

 

Athipat Ploypraikaew, True Corporation’s fraud risk management division director, said that his company’s e-wallet service has always been strict in ensuring safety for customers who wired money online.

 

He urged people not to put their personal information – such as address, phone number, a Thai ID card photo or those of family members – on social media as they could be used by criminals.

 

Passwords for social media accounts should also be made difficult by not using phone numbers, birthday or student card numbers, he said. 

 

Anyone contacted via Facebook by a friend or rela?tive to borrow money should contact the person on another channel to confirm the request, he said, espe?cially if the bank account doesn’t match the person mak?ing the request. 

 

When looking for a job online, people are urged to check if the company really exists before sending their ID card photocopy and bank account information. 

 

“Beware of people offering electronic or brand name goods at low prices, like a 60 per cent discount, as they could collect money without sending the goods in return,” he said.

 

He added that using public WiFi connections is less risky as money transaction applications won’t allow access if the request is made via free Internet connec?tions and the system would ask for personal information for confirmation.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30354143

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-09-10

[overherebc]

Solid silver John. Only got three left. Fell off a lorry in Peckham last week. Keep it quiet.

[inThailand]

They protect personal info like they protect a secret. 

[ChrisY1]

Thailand 4.0 progressing well....bank systems breaking down regularly...internet supply unstable....the list goes on and now kids are beating the system!

[Darcula]

When those kids posted photos of their school lunches on their timeline, that should've been a dead giveaway. I heard a bottle of Vitamilk even got 10,000 likes.

[Esso49]

18 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Thailand 4.0 progressing well....bank systems breaking down regularly...internet supply unstable....the list goes on and now kids are beating the system!

These kids should be in government,  clearly far more intelligent and perceptive then the current incumbents

[bluesofa]

13 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Athipat Ploypraikaew, True Corporation’s fraud risk management division director, said that his company’s e-wallet service has always been strict in ensuring safety for customers who wired money online.

IIRC wasn't it True who a couple of years ago issued a replacement sim when someone went into their shop with only a copy of ID and house reg.

The person then used the new sim to claim they had lost their online banking login, and had a new login details SMSed to them.

Only problem was, the real owner of the ID was selling cars on facebook and had sent his ID details to a prospective 'buyer' to prove who he was.

The 'buyer' then managed to empty his bank account of two million Baht.

 

If it wasn't True, I'm willing to stand corrected, but I remember the story, as my wife to realised not to pass personal details to just anyone.

 

[BEngBKK]

I thought the only bad people in Thailand where farrangs and tourists dumping plastic on the beach and in the ocean......

[BestB]

Imagine that , kids cheating idiots.

 

whats next ? Whitening cream that actually works ? Or pills that rejuvenates vagina ??

[BestB]

9 minutes ago, BEngBKK said:

I thought the only bad people in Thailand where farrangs and tourists dumping plastic on the beach and in the ocean......

It is all farang fault.  Facebook is farang thingy, though many Thai get super excited to find out there is Facebook in Oz or UK

[bluesofa]

8 minutes ago, BestB said:

Imagine that , kids cheating idiots.

 

whats next ? Whitening cream that actually works ? Or pills that rejuvenates vagina ??

It works for the sellers.

 

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Thailand 4.0 progressing well....bank systems breaking down regularly...internet supply unstable....the list goes on and now kids are beating the system!

You ain't seen nuthin' yet. Wait till we're a cashless society.

[inThailand]

Can't wait to hear the boys lame excuse for their actions and then accepted and slapped with a vicious 500B fine.