Former bank staffer stole 36 million baht from customers in check fraud - sent money to her husband's account

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported on action by Thailand's Economic Crime Division against a former employee of a bank who allegedly sent 36 million baht of customer money to her husband's account.

 

The couple have denied everything but police say their case is airtight.

 

It is the latest in a long list of cases of bank employees ripping off customers for their own benefit, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

RTP deputy Jiraphop Phuridech sent in the ECD officers who served an arrest warrant on Lata Kittiwattanaphap, 33.

 

She was charged with theft from an employer and enriching herself as an employee of a financial institution.

Her husband Pharanyu, 36, was charged with theft and receiving stolen goods.

 

Both denied everything.

 

They were arrested in Room 295/218 on the 20th floor of a condominium building on the Din Daeng Road, in the downtown Ratchathewi area of the Thai capital Bangkok.

 

Earlier respresentatives from two construction companies reported that they had deposited checks to the tune of 36,202,965 baht to pay off outstanding debts to the bank.

 

An investigation showed that Lata put the checks into her husband's account and they started spending the money on themselves.

 

The bank contacted the ECD.

 

The suspects were taken in for questioning by the ECD.

 

Area 5 ECD officer Pol Col Mekphisan Sriphirom said that Lata had used her knowledge of the bank's check procedures to exploit a loophole and there was clear evidence of guilt.

 

Thai Rath did not explain how the staffer came to be a former employee, when the crime occurred or the name of the bank.

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2023-02-09

 

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[SGD]

Explain how they became a "former" employee and enlighten us

[KannikaP]

Who uses cheques these days?

And can one not only be paid into the account of the name written on it?

[worgeordie]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thai Rath did not explain how the staffer came to be a former employee, when the crime occurred or the name of the bank.

We need some investigative journalists here (don't know how long they would survive though)

too many half stories ,just the basic facts, 

 

Memo .....check your accounts today , just to make sure the money is still there......????

 

regards Worgeordie

[sammieuk1]

7 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Who uses cheques these days?

And can one not only be paid into the account of the name written on it?

one example is when buying a house you may well use a counter cheque ????

[sammieuk1]

Next up in the far and distant future is someone found not on the fiddle ????

[ezzra]

39 minutes ago, webfact said:

The couple have denied everything but police say their case is airtight.

 

Errr. ok, please explain the origin of the 36 million baht in your husband account, you cannot? that's a surprise.

[rbkk]

Dumb and dumber.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

It is the latest in a long list of cases of bank employees ripping off customers for their own benefit, notes ASEAN NOW.

 

She was charged with theft from an employer and enriching herself as an employee of a financial institution.

She has been charged with theft from the bank, not for "ripping-off customers" notes LL.

[Liverpool Lou]

51 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Who uses cheques these days?

And can one not only be paid into the account of the name written on it?

Probably every business uses cheques, as do banks.  These were cashiers cheques/bank drafts which are, effectively, cash, but regardless of that cheques can be signed over to third parties, they're not all crossed "a/c payee only".

Edited February 9, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[Smokey and the Bandit]

"Earlier respresentatives from two construction companies reported that they had deposited checks to the tune of 36,202,965 baht to pay off outstanding debts to the bank."

 

So then they don't check that the checks in question had been deposited correctly?

[smedly]

58 minutes ago, Smokey and the Bandit said:

So then they don't check that the checks in question had been deposited correctly?

apparently they did

[Smokey and the Bandit]

4 minutes ago, smedly said:

apparently they did

Ok, but then in the OP it says:

"An investigation showed that Lata put the checks into her husband's account and they started spending the money on themselves."

So were these the same checks or some others?

 

[Bangkok Barry]

This is a different bank employee fraud case to the bank employee fraud case we had last week? How long before the next one?

[Mavideol]

how they want us to be aware of anything if they don't name the bank and show, the ones being arrested, faces

[stoner]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Both denied everything.

well they are thai after all so this is of 0 surprise. 

[Thomas KH]

3 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Who uses cheques these days?

And can one not only be paid into the account of the name written on it?

A certain country located south of Canada and north of Mexico. "money orders, magnetic stripe cards" too. Thing is I did half of my undergraduate studies in Chicago back in the 90s and when I wanted to get a transcript of my records, they wanted money orders or checks only. And a US address to send the documents to. Ended up abandoning that super complicated intergalactic mission.

 

 

 

 

[Tubulat]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

We need some investigative journalists here (don't know how long they would survive though)

too many half stories ,just the basic facts, 

 

Memo .....check your accounts today , just to make sure the money is still there......????

 

regards Worgeordie

Yes I check my account but it is not enough, i think with all this kind of problems it is important to know the name of the bank.

[foreverlomsak]

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Next up in the far and distant future is someone found not on the fiddle ????

and they'll play a sad song on a violin for him

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Thomas KH said:

A certain country located south of Canada and north of Mexico. "money orders, magnetic stripe cards" too. Thing is I did half of my undergraduate studies in Chicago back in the 90s and when I wanted to get a transcript of my records, they wanted money orders or checks only. And a US address to send the documents to. Ended up abandoning that super complicated intergalactic mission.

 

 

 

 

As said checks are often used here to transfer funds and in business.  Today, in USA, large insurance firm drug purchase refunds are still only issued by check.

[kcpattaya]

The Line Ratchathewi Condominium - living the hi-life as FORMER bank employee...

[BestB]

4 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Who uses cheques these days?

And can one not only be paid into the account of the name written on it?

people who pay 36 million in 1 go?

[BestB]

what puzzles me each and every time is how banks  pretend they had nothing to do with it and its all employees fault.

 

Sorry but it is an employee of your company, which means are you 100% liable, even more so when crime took place on your premises and employee was acting on your behalf, wearing your uniform and your ID  card, using your computer, logging with password provided by you.

 

[soalbundy]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

Errr. ok, please explain the origin of the 36 million baht in your husband account, you cannot? that's a surprise.

He's good at Bingo

[NRGF]

Surely this is the banks responsibility? The bank will have to make good the money? 

 

[sherwood]

Bless her, I could do with a wife like that.

And the Bank in question will say the same, Deny and Deny not my problem. You gotta love this place.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Memo .....check your accounts today , just to make sure the money is still there......????

Today and everyday it seems.

No end to Thailands corrupt culture.

[StayinThailand2much]

4 hours ago, rbkk said:

Dumb and dumber.

Well, some bank employees can't be very smart (as for my observation). - As for this kind of fraud, do they really think they can get away with it? Not to mention using the stolen money to buy a condo... You would think they'd leave the country, at least.

Edited February 9, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, stoner said:

well they are thai after all so this is of 0 surprise. 

They will claim it was a 'misunderstanding'...

[fusion58]

And they wonder why so many of us balk at the prospect of keeping 800K on deposit in a Thai bank.