71-Year-Old Arrested in Phuket Over Multimillion-Baht Gambling Scam

71-Year-Old Arrested in Phuket Over Multimillion-Baht Gambling Scam

Police in Phuket arrested a 71-year-old Thai woman accused of participating in a gambling fraud operation linked to more than 64 million baht in losses across multiple cases. The investigation began after a Phuket businesswoman reported losing more than 9 million baht to the suspect and several alleged accomplices who initially approached her while pretending to be interested in buying land she had advertised for sale. The group reportedly gained her trust before introducing her to a staged Fan Tan gambling game involving guesses about the number of pumpkin seeds. Investigators say the suspects deliberately allowed the victim to gain confidence before secretly manipulating the game and blaming her for losses, eventually convincing her to hand over millions of baht. Police records reportedly link the arrested woman to similar schemes operating around Thailand for approximately 15 years, with combined damages exceeding 64 million baht.