Photo courtesy of PPTVHD36

 

An 83-year-old woman in Bangkok almost lost 5 million baht to scammers, only to accuse genuine police of being the fraudsters when they intervened. The police arrived at her home after a bank detected suspicious withdrawals and alerted the Online Crime Operations Centre. Despite efforts to convince her, she refused to believe the officers were legitimate, even contacting the scammer during the confrontation.

 

The incident began when bank staff noticed unusual activity and reported it to authorities. The police were dispatched to prevent a large transfer following a series of smaller ones made by the woman, who thought she was obeying a high-ranking officer's orders. By the time police intervened, she had already lost a significant amount of money over multiple transactions.

 

Upon arriving, officers faced hostility, with the woman dismissing their claims and asking community leaders for help. Her insistence on trusting a phone voice over real officers highlighted the scam's effectiveness. Before the intervention, she had transferred sizeable amounts on several days, losing a total of 4.95 million baht.

 

Police Colonel Phumiyot Lekkla praised the quick actions of the bank and AOC, which saved 2.5 million baht from being transferred. Despite this, the woman has not filed an official report and has pressed charges against the police, convinced of the scammer's legitimacy.

 

Currently, authorities are tracing bank accounts linked to the scam and attempting to recover more funds. The police advise vigilance as similar scams continue to target elderly individuals who may easily be misled by authorities' impersonations.

 

Key Takeaways

• Police intervention prevented further losses in a large scam amounting to 4.95 million baht.
• The elderly woman trusted a scammer posing as an officer over real police.
• Quick coordination saved 2.5 million baht from being lost.

 

Related Stories

Thai Woman Arrested Over Chinese Scam Operation

Thais Deceiving Thais: Sharing Personal Data Fuels Scams

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-09-16

 

 

it should not be that difficult to trace the stammers bank account and get frozen

On 9/16/2025 at 4:51 PM, snoop1130 said:

the woman has ... pressed charges against the police, convinced of the scammer's legitimacy.

Nonsense.  How can the woman "press charges against the police"?   Charges for what - saving her B3m?

On 9/16/2025 at 5:45 PM, smedly said:

it should not be that difficult to trace the stammers bank account and get frozen

You think scammers leave the funds there for more than a few hours so they can be frozen?