Woman Arrested in BKK Over Investment Scam Linked to Call Centre

Picture courtesy of SiamRath.

A 29-year-old woman has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly acting as a money mule for a call centre gang that lured victims into a bogus investment scheme involving fake movie view counts.

Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) apprehended Ms Thanyathorn in front of a residence in Soi Phahonyothin 54/1 following an arrest warrant issued by the Lampang Provincial Court. She is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, deception of the public and offences under the Computer Crime Act.

The arrest stems from an incident in April 2023, when a victim came across an online advertisement promoting an investment opportunity that promised 20% returns for boosting the popularity of movies through online voting. Believing the offer was legitimate, the victim transferred over 300,000 baht across several transactions in exchange for “voting points”, but never received any returns. One of the recipient bank accounts was found to be registered to Ms Thanyathorn.

Following a police complaint, investigators from ECD’s Sub-Division 2 tracked Ms Thanyathorn to the Phahonyothin area, where she was placed under surveillance before being arrested.

During questioning, Ms Thanyathorn denied knowingly participating in any illegal activity. She claimed she responded to a job advertisement on Facebook and was instructed to open an online bank account and provide the OTP (one-time password) to the recruiter. She said she was paid 400 baht for her cooperation and was unaware that the account would be used in a criminal scheme.

However, further investigation revealed that Ms Thanyathorn’s name had previously been flagged on blacklistseller.com in connection with various online scams, including fraudulent sales of dietary supplements and rice.

The ECD warned the public against opening bank accounts or sharing personal identification with third parties without fully understanding the purpose. Doing so may result in becoming an unwitting accomplice in criminal activity and facing prosecution.

  Adapted by Asean Now from SiamRath 2025-08-05