Picture courtesy of Channel 3

 

A French co-founder of a Bangkok law firm has reportedly lost 18 million baht after a scammer took control of his company through fraudulent means. Laurent Bruno Benoit, the victim, claims his company was compromised when a scammer submitted fake documents via Thailand's Department of Business Development's (DBD) online system, altering the firm's registration and syphoning off funds.

 

Benoit, alongside his Thai lawyer Phumjai Mukda, approached the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after his attempts to raise the alarm with police appeared to have been overlooked. He stated that the scammer managed to not only add themselves as a director but also remove existing shareholders from records. Subsequently, the scammer opened a new bank account in the firm's name, withdrawing sums that eventually totalled 18 million baht.

 

The issue began on October 6, but Benoit only discovered the fraudulent activity on October 9, after significant amounts had already been extracted. Attempts to halt further losses were thwarted as the bank required an official police report, which he hastened to file at Bang Rak Police Station. Unfortunately, additional withdrawals were executed before any action could be taken.

 

Picture courtesy of Channel 3

 

Expressing his dismay, Benoit called for improvements in the DBD’s online security and banking procedures, raising concerns about the ease of company takeovers and substantial withdrawals without stringent verification processes. Ekkaphop Lueangprasert, founder of Saimai Survive, highlighted the incident as indicative of deep-seated inadequacies within the DBD's system.

 

In response, Ekkaphop has demanded immediate investigation from the Metropolitan Police Bureau, suggesting that this case might be linked to a wider network of criminal activity. Authorities are urged to act swiftly in order to prevent further incidents and reinforce online security mechanisms.

 

Picture courtesy of Top News

 

Key Takeaways

 

• A French national's firm in Bangkok was defrauded of 18 million baht.
• The scam involved fake documents altering company registration via an online system.
• Authorities are being pressed to investigate and enhance security measures.

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-11-05

 

 

Unbelievable, that could be done with any company then

It obviously required some special knowledge of forms, procedures, banking methods etc.  This was not just one person.  The article suggests it may be part of a wider network.  For sure.  A lot of expertise was needed to do this.  Article says a bank account is where the funds were sent to.  OK.  I would think there would be something to trace there.  Whose bank account?  how and when was it opened?  Were funds then withdrawn from that account?  

2 minutes ago, gk10012001 said:

It obviously required some special knowledge of forms, procedures, banking methods etc.  This was not just one person.  The article suggests it may be part of a wider network.  For sure.  A lot of expertise was needed to do this.  Article says a bank account is where the funds were sent to.  OK.  I would think there would be something to trace there.  Whose bank account?  how and when was it opened?  Were funds then withdrawn from that account?  

Look at other directors in the company, he was specifically targeted 

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

Look at other directors in the company, he was specifically targeted 

yeah.  It has the earmarks of an inside job.  I mean so much special information was needed to pull this off. 

Quote

 

Benoit

 

 

Ben Wa got mad played 

 

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Subsequently, thescammer opened a new bank account in the firm's name,withdrawing sums that eventually totalled 18 million baht.

 

That makes no sense. How can someone open a new bank account, then withdraw that much money from it without ever depositing the same amount first? You can’t take money out of an empty account. Something is seriously FUBAR here. 

I would also think that signatories at the bank need to be just that and on record at the bank.

Uneducated isaan farm girls have done far more damage throughout the years. This was child's play.

No taxi driver will be refunding this.

 

Money gone.

42 minutes ago, short-Timer said:

 

That makes no sense. How can someone open a new bank account, then withdraw that much money from it without ever depositing the same amount first? You can’t take money out of an empty account. Something is seriously FUBAR here. 

Assume the scammer transferred from the firm's original bank account to the new one he opened also in the firm's name but which he had control of.

It takes certain kinds of skills to survive in this day and when you have a world full of scammers who absolutely refuse to work, and instead just make a living stealing other people's money.

 

One would think that a lawyer would be better equipped than most to sniff out a scammer and pay special attention to the details. Sometimes I simply say okay go ahead and give me your office number and let me call your department head and discuss the details with him. It inevitably scares off an unprepared scammer. Any sort of tactic that can be used against the scammer is often effective, and enables you to demonstrate that you're not an unsuspecting target. 

5 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Assume the scammer transferred from the firm's original bank account to the new one he opened also in the firm's name but which he had control of.

It's not what they said, but still doesn't really make logical sense. That would be an extra and unnecessary step. The scammer could just withdraw the money from the original bank account in cash and then physically deposit it in cash into another account elsewhere and it becomes untraceable. That severs the digital footprint. What you described just creates another footprint.

I know someone that…  🤔

The best way to avoid all these problems is to be skint like me... 🙂

It also shows how much greedy Lawyers can make from their victims

1 hour ago, short-Timer said:

 

That makes no sense. How can someone open a new bank account, then withdraw that much money from it without ever depositing the same amount first? You can’t take money out of an empty account. Something is seriously FUBAR here. 

Obviously they transferred company funds to the new account first. Then transferred them to some other account.

They must look at the bank and bank officers/tellers involved very precisely.

 

No chance this amount of transfer didn't have huge documentation and extensive wire trail. A bent bank employee is likely, check their safe boxes and accounts too.

 

It was an inside job. Orchestrated by Benoit himself, to relieve his partners of their money.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's Department of Business Development's (DBD) online system,

 

Having everything online is perfectly safe since the whole world knows there are no such villians as scammers and hackers , especially in this neck of the woods

5 hours ago, webfact said:

a scammer submitted fake documents via Thailand's Department of Business Development's (DBD) online system

indicative of deep-seated inadequacies within the DBD's system

 

sue the government for damages

I'm just a poor boy from a poor family ,dumb, financially illiterate Aussie with almost empty bank accounts .

Yet, I still log into the Bank's internetthingy at least daily to make sure my 100 baht is still in my account and no scroundrels have changed anything. I also get a notification if money goes out or if my details have been changed.

Conversely, this international lawyer employs no daily checks or basic common sense to protect the many millions of baht in the company accounts, in a nation who's banks are renowned for sticky fingered employees ?

I'm almost thinking of pointing one of my sausage like fingers in the general direction of the Frog hisself.

Furthermore , remembering the legal precedence  of " who smells it first did it"

makes my judgmental character even more judgey.

 

Mr Benoit is not a Thai lawyer, but he can help co-found a Thai law firm ?

 

And then the Thai lawyers in the Thai law firm will have to share their earnings with a foreigner who is not a Thai lawyer ?

 

So if you are not a lawyer in that country you can still start a law firm ?  Is the Lawyer's Council of Thailand sleeping ?

it seems a big law firm can be scamed  like anyone else.Who ever done  must be very clever in  paper works and computers

Thailand is full of scammers from the top downwards any money you bring to Thailand is at your own risk I know I’ve been there and worn the T Shirt !! 

Now we're going to get the knee-jerk reaction and the gate will be closed after the bull has bolted when they put in place the checks and balances which should have been there in the first place!

39 minutes ago, animatic said:

Obviously they transferred company funds to the new account first. Then transferred them to some other account.

They must look at the bank and bank officers/tellers involved very precisely.

 

No chance this amount of transfer didn't have huge documentation and extensive wire trail. A bent bank employee is likely, check their safe boxes and accounts too.

 

I agree. If the scammer merely showed a company document showing that he was now a director of the company, or the owner of all of the shares, would the bank simply accept the change of signatories for the company account without question or consent from the previous signatories? I doubt it. I would expect that the bank would want to see a document transferring ownership with the signatures of the previous owner and some form of consent from the previous owner. They wouldn't just hand over the account on the basis of a printout of online registration document.

22 minutes ago, thairookie said:

Mr Benoit is not a Thai lawyer, but he can help co-found a Thai law firm ?

 

And then the Thai lawyers in the Thai law firm will have to share their earnings with a foreigner who is not a Thai lawyer ?

 

So if you are not a lawyer in that country you can still start a law firm ?  Is the Lawyer's Council of Thailand sleeping ?

How many French speaks English (or Thai) well enough to to communicate complicated legal matters to a Thai lawyer? Plenty of lawyers of different nationalities working legally in Thailand.

What makes a foreigner want to start a law firm in Thailand ?

Plus I'm guessing he's not a lawyer or not a good one if he turned up with his Thai lawyer 😀

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Look at other directors in the company, he was specifically targeted 

 

Remember, he may have been a shareholder and director, BUT he was not THE DIRECTOR tht had to be either 1 or many Thais.

 

I agree there seems to be inside knowledge of the firm AND the money in the bank.   Does anyone want to bet that it was the Thai partners who helped him set up the account?

 

He would have been better off hiring one of the international companies to set up his firm.

 

The challenge, as we have seen here many times, is tht people think they can trust their Thai friend, partner or wife in business only to get hosed.

 

 

24 minutes ago, maddermax said:

Now we're going to get the knee-jerk reaction and the gate will be closed after the bull has bolted when they put in place the checks and balances which should have been there in the first place!

 

nah, I think the system needs changing, but as long as there is the 51% Thai ownership, this will continue until people wake up and hire the right people to set things up for them.