Bangkok woman arrested for call centre scam impersonating police

[snoop1130]

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

 

A 63 year old woman was recently arrested in Bangkok for allegedly participating in a call centre scam that impersonated police officers from the Surin City Police Station. The scam involved video calls to victims, convincing them to transfer money for “verification” purposes, resulting in losses exceeding 1 million baht.

 

The arrest was made yesterday by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, led by senior officers, including Siam Boonsom, Wasan Thechakarnkasem, Noppasilp Poolsawat, and Teeradej Thammasutee. They instructed their team to apprehend the suspect, Porntip, outside her residence in the Ram Inthra area of Bangkok. She was wanted under a warrant issued by the South Bangkok Criminal Court on November 1, for charges of fraud and computer-related crimes.

 

Upon investigation, it was discovered that Porntip had five additional warrants against her. These include charges from the Songkhla Provincial Court on March 4, for issuing cheques without sufficient funds, and from the Maha Sarakham Provincial Court on September 12, for public fraud and forgery.

 

Other warrants were issued by the Songkhla Provincial Court on May 7, and June 12, for cheque-related offences, and by the Chiang Mai Provincial Court on October 2.

 

The scam unfolded when a victim in Chumphon received a phone call claiming they were a suspect in drug and money laundering cases. The caller provided personal details such as the victim’s name, phone number, ID card, and address, and then requested the victim’s LINE app ID. The victim was then contacted by an account named “Surin City Police Station,” which sent a photo of an arrest warrant for drug charges. Believing the caller to be genuine, the victim complied with requests during a video call, which included bank account information.

 

 

The scammers claimed the victim’s bank account was one of 24 accounts involved in drug-related activities. To prove innocence, the victim was instructed to transfer money to be “verified”. The victim was coerced into transferring a total of 1,056,000 baht from two different banks. The victim was shown a video call where the person, posing as a manager, demanded further verification, claiming the bank app was frozen. Under pressure, the victim transferred one million baht to a CIMB bank account under Porntip’s name.

 

Realising the scam after receiving multiple calls while travelling back to Bangkok, the victim reported the fraud to the Thonglor Police Station. Porntip later confessed to searching for a job on Facebook, where she was introduced to someone named Kit. Kit recruited her for a job at a casino in Poipet, Cambodia, offering good pay, but she had to open five bank accounts, receiving 1,000 baht per account for a total of 5,000 baht. Kit claimed these accounts would be used for business transactions with Poipet entrepreneurs.

 

Porntip was instructed to meet Kit at a van terminal in Mo Chit for the journey to Poipet. Upon arrival, Kit provided her with the promised cash and accompanied her to Aranyaprathet. There, Kit arranged for Porntip to travel with a Thai man who would take her across the border into Cambodia. Once in Cambodia, Porntip was taken by Chinese nationals to a seven-storey building, where she was required to scan her face on a mobile device.

 

For a month, Porntip was kept in a room resembling a cell and was monitored closely by the Chinese group. They eventually allowed her to return to Thailand, but only after confiscating her phone when they discovered she had tried to secretly record them. Porntip was given 2,000 baht for her return journey and was later found by the authorities staying with her brother in the Nawamin area, leading to her arrest by the Metropolitan Police, reported KhaoSod.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-12-27

 

 

[hotchilli]

She got what she deserved...

[bradiston]

And what of Kit and the scumbags across the border? Is there any coordination between the Khmer and Thai police? Apprehension of Chinese suspects in and around gangster town Poipet? Or is it just mafia controlled? Is there any intergovernmental activity on this? The Shins and Huns are close enough.