Zambian and Thai woman arrested after "cash in parcel" scam nets 1.2 million baht

[webfact]

Zambian and Thai woman arrested after "cash in parcel" scam nets 1.2 million baht

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Thailand's immigration chief Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang - called Big Oud by Thai media Naew Na - announced the arrest of a Thai woman and a Zambian man ripping people off as part of an online money transfer scam. 

 

Natthida, 37, was arrested for fraud and Mr Morgan has been charged with possessing a class 5 drug, namely marijuana. 

 

Immigration had become aware of fraud after complaints from SCB and Thanachart banks and victims who said they had been contacted by someone claiming to be "Fred Salvatore" on the LINE application. 

 

Victims were hoodwinked into believing that they would receive cash in parcels. When the cash got held up emails were sent to them saying they needed to pay tax and money to resolve cases and release the cash.

 

One victim got sucked in for 706,103 baht while many more were conned in total out of 1.2 million baht.

 

Natthida was the ATM presser and transferrer of money. Mr Morgan did the fake pictures of the cash laden parcels. 

 

Picture: Naew Na

 

Inquiries led to a condo building in Phuttamonthon 1 Soi 5 where Natthida was arrested downstairs on a warrant.

 

Upstairs Mr Morgan was found along with 16.35 grams of ganja stashed in front of a microwave that he admitted was his.

 

Also taken into evidence were bankbooks and sim cards. 

 

They said they were working for Mr Somtochkwu via "WhatsApp". He is a Nigerian living in Nigeria. 

 

Naew Na once again made much of the color of the skin of the Africans involved in this story.

 

Naew Na repeated their assertions that this was all part of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha's policies of keeping Thailand free of  foreign criminals. 

 

A by now standard image of Sompong and RTP chief Gen Suwat Chaengyodsuk was used as a backdrop to senior immigration officials at Suan Phlu HQ in Bangkok for the briefing. They were flanked by commandos with high power guns and one in a hazmat suit. 

 

In a departure from usual proceedings immigration opted for a projection screen rather than a vinyl board. 

 

Source: Naew Na

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-12-09

 

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[faraday]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

In a departure from usual proceedings immigration opted for a projection screen rather than a vinyl board. 

 More hi-tech wizardry from the RTP.....

[ThailandRyan]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

Upstairs Mr Morgan was found along with 16.35 grams of ganja stashed in front of a microwave that he admitted was his.

He admitted the Microwave was his, well then that is an offense to be arrested for.  Must have been cooking the books in the microwave as well.  Damned new spin on the Nigerian Prince scam.  Some people will always believe what they want as greed is a big motivator to cut loose with cash to make more.  Sucks for them, and I despise people who prey on others.  Sort of like the Thai Government preying on their own people and foreigners as well as those Jetski operators and then the loan sharks.

[CharlieH]

Awwww, no pictures of anyone pointing at a phone or app ? Whats the world coming to.

[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, faraday said:

 More hi-tech wizardry from the RTP.....

They were amassing to many Vinyl sheets with their photos on them, and lacked a storage place for all the Me photos.

[ezzra]

There are many African people in this country whom, with the aid of local women are preying on gullible and unsuspecting people, and if there is this special place in hell for those people.............

Very much like the Nigerian Letter or “419” Fraud

Nigerian letter frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter mailed, or e-mailed, from Nigeria offers the recipient the “opportunity” to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author—a self-proclaimed government official—is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying information using a fax number given in the letter or return e-mail address provided in the message. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a “propensity for larceny” by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons...

 

[xylophone]

46 minutes ago, ezzra said:

There are many African people in this country whom, with the aid of local women are preying on gullible and unsuspecting people, and if there is this special place in hell for those people.............

Very much like the Nigerian Letter or “419” Fraud

Nigerian letter frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter mailed, or e-mailed, from Nigeria offers the recipient the “opportunity” to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author—a self-proclaimed government official—is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying information using a fax number given in the letter or return e-mail address provided in the message. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a “propensity for larceny” by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons...

 

Just had a similar thing happened to a friend of mine here, who is in real estate and was contacted by a potential overseas buyer who had millions to spend on properties, and would be flying into Bangkok to meet with my friend.

 

My friend spoke to me about it and suggested that he thought the potential buyer was genuine because he had outlined his past to him, i.e. that his father was a government minister in Cameroon and had access to millions of US dollars which he wanted to transfer to my friend here in Thailand to buy properties, giving him a good percentage of the supposed funds for handling them.

 

The unfortunate thing was that my friend was half taken in by it, and I suggested that it was another play on a well-known scam, and I had seen several similar letters previously.

 

Of course he was disappointed, but it shows these type of letters are still around, and it shows that some people could be convinced by them!!!

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Victims were hoodwinked into believing that they would receive cash in parcels

Ah, the good old days before scammers - when people really would send you cash in parcels. That was a thing, right? That's why people believed they would get free money?

 

Zero sympathy for anyone who lost money. Your greed got the better of you. 

 

 

[RotBenz8888]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

They said they were working for Mr Somtochkwu via "WhatsApp". He is a Nigerian living in Nigeria. 

I guess name "Mr Somtumkung" was already taken by some of thr other scammers? 

[herwin1234]

a coworker of my exwife at a restaurant at a shopping mall once was told by a stranger she just met on the internet that he wanted to send her a box with money, an i phone, and "gold" , but first she had to transfer money to him "for customs".

 

it was the most crude and obvious scam. my exwife with dollar signs in her eyes said to me "yeah we know its probably a scam ... BUT WHAT IF ITS NOT!!" she was asking my advice and HOPING i would say something like "it looks like a scam but darn it its a genuine kindhearted stranger just wanting to be nice!"

[overherebc]

I've got a bridge for sale.

[tompelli]

There's a resort in Chiang Mai looking to buy one after the last one snapped.

[Ireland32]

I thought Ganja was Removed from Cat 5

[Hayduke]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

In a departure from usual proceedings immigration opted for a projection screen rather than a vinyl board. 

 

The guy who owned the vinyl board business made so much money that he cashed in and bought a string of ASQ hotels.

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Hayduke

[ronaldo0]

One was conned out of 700k ? ???? . Very odd you never seem to see these types in the photo with the woman being surrounded by the police . 

[Tropicalevo]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

PM Prayuth Chan-ocha's policies of keeping Thailand free of  foreign criminals. 

So domestic criminals are OK?

[djayz]

How can people still fall for this kind of stuff? 

With all the time they spend online/watching TV, don't they ever read/watch the news? 

[Andy from Kent]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

They were amassing to many Vinyl sheets with their photos on them, and lacked a storage place for all the Me photos.

     

Couldn't they just store them along with all the passport page copies?       ????

 

 

[Pique Dard]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Naew Na once again made much of the color of the skin of the Africans involved in this story.

Naew Na repeated their assertions that this was all part of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha's policies of keeping Thailand free of  foreign criminals.

 

if Naew Na is making much of the color of the skin of the Africans involved in this story, and if one puts that assertion in connection with what is written about PM Prayuth's immigration policy, it seems to me, PM  Prajuth wants first of all to keep thailand free of african criminals, for one thing is sure,  they are more easily detectable

 

[overherebc]

11 hours ago, Pique Dard said:

 

if Naew Na is making much of the color of the skin of the Africans involved in this story, and if one puts that assertion in connection with what is written about PM Prayuth's immigration policy, it seems to me, PM  Prajuth wants first of all to keep thailand free of african criminals, for one thing is sure,  they are more easily detectable

 

Except at night.

[Pravda]

21 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

They were amassing to many Vinyl sheets with their photos on them, and lacked a storage place for all the Me photos.

 

Just store it here

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1196083-neighbours-dispute-in-condominium/#comments

[pixelaoffy]

20 hours ago, xylophone said:

Just had a similar thing happened to a friend of mine here, who is in real estate and was contacted by a potential overseas buyer who had millions to spend on properties, and would be flying into Bangkok to meet with my friend.

 

My friend spoke to me about it and suggested that he thought the potential buyer was genuine because he had outlined his past to him, i.e. that his father was a government minister in Cameroon and had access to millions of US dollars which he wanted to transfer to my friend here in Thailand to buy properties, giving him a good percentage of the supposed funds for handling them.

 

The unfortunate thing was that my friend was half taken in by it, and I suggested that it was another play on a well-known scam, and I had seen several similar letters previously.

 

Of course he was disappointed, but it shows these type of letters are still around, and it shows that some people could be convinced by them!!!

Hilarious! Glad to see some property developers in Bangkok  suffering because lack of the Chinese's buyers, so thought his luck was in with an African one with lots of money ! Gotta laugh 

[Cereal]

I cannot find sympathy in my heart for people who are taken in by this kind of scam. The scammers should at best be locked up for life, if not given the death penalty. I don't care if some say this is a non-violent crime. 

 

How can anyone be stupid enough to fall for this. They're not targeting uneducated illiterate jungle villagers because they have no money to get the "money" released. 

[Damrongsak]

17 hours ago, overherebc said:

I've got a bridge for sale.

Send me the details.  I have a bridge in Lake Havasu, AZ that came from England and another on the way from NYC. I collect them.

 

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

One victim got sucked in for 706,103 baht

Evidence of stupidity shows no bounds.

[overherebc]

19 minutes ago, Damrongsak said:

Send me the details.  I have a bridge in Lake Havasu, AZ that came from England and another on the way from NYC. I collect them.

 

Do you think it'll fit ok?

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Awwww, no pictures of anyone pointing at a phone or app ? Whats the world coming to.

I'm disappointed I wanted to see the microwave being pointed at with the grass inside, and NO vinyl board!

  

[brianthainess]

When will they arrest the scamed, for attempted fraud, greed and stupidity ?

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

When will they arrest the scamed, for attempted fraud, greed and stupidity ?

A reverse Nigerian Prince scam scammed arrest and investigation.  Nice.

[wangotango]

If brains were electricity there would be a lot of walking blackouts around.