Kalasin grocer thought she'd get half a billion for lending 39 million baht - she lost it all

[webfact]

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook reported on an extraordinary tale of greed and gullibility in north east Thailand. 

 

A 48 year old owner of a convenience store called Apha went to the Yang Talad police in Kalasin to report how she was defrauded of 39 million baht between 2015 and 2017.

 

She had 200 pages of evidence and audio recordings for the cops to examine.

 

Apha explained that she'd been abroad and amassed a nest egg and returned to her native Kalasin. 

 

There she opened a convenience store and did rather well. 

 

In 2015 she was contacted by a local husband and wife who said they knew her because they had the same teacher in primary school.

 

A friendship blossomed then they recommended another couple in Mahasarakham who were in financial trouble. 

 

They had a good family name so Apha didn't see any problem in lending them 180,000 baht for seven days. 

 

The seven day loan period started on April Fools Day 2015. The couple needed the money to get their hands on hundreds of millions of baht in seized assets, it was claimed.

 

It was part of an "unusually rich" case at the time, she thought.

 

The money was not returned on time but she still did not smell a rat - they were friends of friends and good people, so she thought.

 

Then in May the couple in Mahasarakham upped the ante and said if they could just borrow 380,000 baht it would all be sorted and they would give her a quarter of a billion baht for her trouble. 

 

Requests for cash continued for two years with Apha ultimately being promised half a billion baht of the seized assets when it was all sorted. 

 

She said the reason it has taken years to report to police is that she held out hope of becoming very rich. 

 

Finally the penny dropped. 

 

It emerged that the Mahasarakham fraudsters are wanted all over Thailand for multiple frauds totalling at least 100 million baht. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-05-19

 

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[xtof2]

many years here, I still can’t believe how some people can be so naive. 
Well, not saying it would not happen in my own country but….

Tempting trying to do the same.

ok maybe I don’t have a good family name. LOL.

[Muzzique]

As they say

 

A fool and their money are easily parted.

 

If it sounds too good to be true then it's most likely to be a scam. I feel sorry for her but sometimes in life you have to learn the hard way. Let's hope she can rebuild.

[OneMoreFarang]

If it sounds too good to be true... 

[smedly]

53 minutes ago, xtof2 said:

many years here, I still can’t believe how some people can be so naive. 
Well, not saying it would not happen in my own country but….

Tempting trying to do the same.

ok maybe I don’t have a good family name. LOL.

lend me a fiver 

[realfunster]

Oh well, one born every day.

 

As this event brings into question her common sense and business acumen, I am intrigued as to how she has amassed such a large fortune by age 48 through 'being abroad and owning a convenience store' that she can afford to loan someone THB 39m (>USD 1m). 

 

I wonder....

[LomSak27]

180K + 380K = 39 million Baht ???? that doesn't add up

 

Ok  --- Requests for cash continued for two years" Not just requests, Apha seems to have given them 38,440,000 Baht, give or take.  It was like milking a cow buffalo.

[abrahamzvi]

1 hour ago, xtof2 said:

many years here, I still can’t believe how some people can be so naive. 
Well, not saying it would not happen in my own country but….

Tempting trying to do the same.

ok maybe I don’t have a good family name. LOL.

I simply don't understand how people can be that STUPID. Mind you, similar cases take place in many countries, not only in Thailand.

[PETERTHEEATER]

The Thai cabinet have agreed to borrow money. Perhaps she could help them too......????

[bradiston]

Thai trick Thai, not Thai love Thai. In the Thai language, almost the same.

[ronaldo0]

How in the name off all that’s holy could someone be so dumb to keep giving people money over that length of time and to the tune of 39 million. ????????????

What excuse did they use every time that she didn’t doubt them ?

[CharlieH]

Stupidity fed by greed !

[pmarlin]

She was greedy. I wouldn't help her. She deserves to lose her money.

[RichardColeman]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

There she opened a convenience store and did rather well. 

rather well ? I'd say having the ability to lend out a £1,000,000 would make that rather an understatement if true or else its bad reporting. 

 

 

[KannikaP]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Apha explained that she'd been abroad and amassed a nest egg and returned to her native Kalasin

Doing what I wonder?

[AlfHuy]

2 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

180K + 380K = 39 million Baht ???? that doesn't add up

 

Ok  --- Requests for cash continued for two years" Not just requests, Apha seems to have given them 38,440,000 Baht, give or take.  It was like milking a cow buffalo.

Turkish Lira

[Ventenio]

i feel bad, and I want to make it up to her.

 

With my system, if you send me 100 baht I'll match it by 10,000 and send it to her.   Can only happen once we reach 80 million baht

 

Once I get 80 million baht, I'm commit my time to getting her all her money.  full-time job!!!  

 

if you love money (I don't care about money, I'm sooo rich), I'll send you the lottery numbers for 1 million baht.  no guarantee

 

if you need money (I don't), send me 10 million and I'll make a donation to this lady for 10,000 baht with your name!!!

 

i'm falang.....jai deeeeeeeee     jai deeeeeeeeeeee maaaaaak 

 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The seven day loan period started on April Fools Day 2015. The couple needed the money to get their hands on hundreds of millions of baht in seized assets, it was claimed.

Hook-line and sinker.

[Lacessit]

I've heard there is a saying among con artists. You can't cheat an honest person.

Greed is never honest, that's why there are so many victims of it.

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Finally the penny dropped

and vanished promptly.

[CALSinCM]

The power of greed.  She's was worth over $1 million USD.  "Not good enough."  Now she can grub around with the hired help.  Boo hoo.  The only sad thing here is that people never are happy with what they have. 

[Thingamabob]

Should we believe the 39m baht number ? I have my doubts. 

[Nkpjed]

Stupid is as stupid does

[ProbPossConf]

Thai version of the usual Nigerian scam...need a little money to retrieve millions...555.

[whaleboneman]

4 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Should we believe the 39m baht number ? I have my doubts. 

yes, but what about the 1/4 billion and 1/2 billion numbers? or was that a translation error?

[jacko45k]

Thai airways should have gone to her as part of their debt restructuring. 

[Excel]

15 hours ago, ronaldo0 said:

How in the name off all that’s holy could someone be so dumb to keep giving people money over that length of time and to the tune of 39 million. ????????????

What excuse did they use every time that she didn’t doubt them ?

How on earth would she have accumulated 39 million baht overseas anyway together with a "little shop that did rather well" ?   She may well have been an illegal money lender who discovered Karma

[jacko45k]

Just now, Excel said:

How on earth would she have accumulated 39 million baht overseas anyway together with a "little shop that did rather well" ?   She may well have been an illegal money lender who discovered Karma

The tax man may well want to know too!

[Excel]

6 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

The tax man may well want to know too!

Doubt as this is Thailand and like everyone in government  or central administration they can be bought off.

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Finally the penny dropped.

More like 39 million baht dropped !!!!!