Card-Playing Con Artists Caught In Phuket

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Card-playing con artists caught in Phuket

Tanyaluk Sakoot

Wasan Chuthong, left, and Tiwalai “Su” Pasut.

PHUKET: -- Phuket police last night (February 18) arrested two members of a gang of con artists who are believed to have cheated people in Phuket and other parts of Thailand out of as much as B20 million.

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The pair were tracked down and arrested on Bangla Rd in Patong at about 11 pm yesterday.

The two are Wasan Chuthong, 30, from Surat Thani, Tiwalai “Su” Pasut, 59, from Nakorn Sri Thammarat. Both are members, police said, of a group of con artists who styled themselves “Gang Kwai” (Buffalo Gang) – a reference to the supposed stupidity of their victims.

Police began to search for the gang after a complaint was made by a victim to Phuket City Police Station. When police checked against national records they found that there were already outstanding warrants for their arrests.

Wasan was wanted for scams involving about B15 million in Bo Phut, in Surat Thani, and in Ranong.

Tiwalai was wanted for her part in conning a victim out of B1.3 million in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

Police said that the gang would target people advertising their houses for sale. Pretending to be brokers, members of the gang would contact the house seller.

They would offer to take the victim to meet a “buyer”, a rich person who would pay cash for the house.

At the meeting place, however, it would turn out that the “buyer” was “delayed”. The gang would then persuade the victim through a mixture of persuasion and threats, to play cards “while we wait”.

Being consummate card sharps they would then take all the victim’s money, or put them in a situation where the victim owed them large amounts – which would have to be repaid immediately by a visit to the bank, escorted by the con artists.

Investigators said they are concentrating on catching the other three or four members of the gang. Victims cannot expect to get their money back, police added – the gang would spend the money as fast as they got it on living the high life.

Late last month it was reported that Phuket resident Tanya Kitti was approached by a scam artist posing as a real estate agent, who she says almost tricked her into playing a Chinese board game in return for her house and its chanote title. It is not currently known whether Wasan and Su were also involved in this scam.

Source: http://www.thephuket...huket-37211.php

-- The Phuket News 2013-02-19

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Police nail multi-million-baht real estate scam artists in Phuket

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Patong Police yesterday arrested two con artists who allegedly made more than 16 million baht by posing as real estate agents and luring potential clients into fixed gambling matches of fantan.

Acting on reports from two men who said they had been scammed out of 200,000 and 900,000 baht, police arrested Wasan Choothong, 29, and Tiwalai Ruprasut,58, at the entrance of Bangla Road in Patong (map here).

Both had outstanding arrest warrants for fraud.

Mr Wasan had three warrants, issued by Phuket City Police, Bor Pud Police and Ranong City Police with total fraud accusations totaling about 15 million baht. Mrs Tiwalai had a fraud warrant issued by Bang Saphan Police in Prachuap Khiri Khan for about 1.3 million baht.

“The suspects told police that they had conducted many scams,” said Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan. “They said the total amount they had made through these scams was over 16 million baht.”

The scam was simple, Col Chiraphat said: Mr Wasan and Mrs Tiwalai posed as real estate agents and approached people trying to sell some land or a house, offering to arrange a meeting with a rich prospective buyer. There would be a long wait for the buyer to arrive, during which the victims would be invited to gamble to kill time. Associates of the scammers would be called in to participate in a rigged game of fantan, which is a traditional Chinese game of chance.

“The next thing the victims knew, was that they were broke,” said Patong Police Deputy Superintendent Paisarn Sangthep.

Patong Police investigator Somsak Thongglieng issued a warning to people selling property.

“People who put up property for sale signs may be targeted by the gang. They will call you and pretend to be interested in buying your property, then they will trick you into gambling. Please be extra careful,” he said.

The Patong Police are preparing to transfer the two con artists to other jurisdictions for prosecution.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...uket-20284.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-02-19

[ChoakMyDee]

It boggles the mind. Who would be gullible enough to, while at a meeting regarding real estate, be persuaded to gamble with complete strangers for huge amounts of money?

[Jimi007]

It boggles the mind. Who would be gullible enough to, while at a meeting regarding real estate, be persuaded to gamble with complete strangers for huge amounts of money?

Mainly, Thai women who want to be "lucky." Not knowing they are dealing with a card shark or cheat. Hence the word scam comes into play... The old phrase; more money than sense comes to mind...

Edited February 19, 2013 by Jimi007

[belg]

pfffffffff, they only cheated thais, as we farang CANNOT OWN LAND OR HOUSE 5555

[MikeThaison]

Ok we all know how this plays out.. . They plead guilty, reduced sentence, out in 1-2 years. They go to a temple and join the monkhood and continue to swindle people out of money, but this time behind the face of religion.

[Tanaka]

It boggles the mind. Who would be gullible enough to, while at a meeting regarding real estate, be persuaded to gamble with complete strangers for huge amounts of money?

Greedy Thais?

[comserve]

It boggles the mind. Who would be gullible enough to, while at a meeting regarding real estate, be persuaded to gamble with complete strangers for huge amounts of money?

Greedy Thais?

Not only Thais. Such a stunt was pulled on me at KL whilst I was on a 12 hour stop over travelling from the UK to AUS.

They can be very persuasive.

Fortunately I woke up in time, through my jet lag!!!

[cambtek]

Filipino gangs in HCM and Phnom Penh have been persuading tourists to play cards for the last couple of years.In PP they commonly get thousands from a victim, the largest amount reported scammed was over 20k,

[khaowong1]

Ok we all know how this plays out.. . They plead guilty, reduced sentence, out in 1-2 years. They go to a temple and join the monkhood and continue to swindle people out of money, but this time behind the face of religion.

Wow, you must have had a bad experience with Thai monks.. please accept my apologies for any wrong done to you by any monks. don't paint all Buddhist monks with the same brush.. and not all catholic priests are pedophiles..

[toastie]

It boggles the mind. Who would be gullible enough to, while at a meeting regarding real estate, be persuaded to gamble with complete strangers for huge amounts of money?

probably it starts very small, even free; the mark wins a few hands and then the stakes rise and rise until somebody is way over their head.

[MikeThaison]

Ok we all know how this plays out.. . They plead guilty, reduced sentence, out in 1-2 years. They go to a temple and join the monkhood and continue to swindle people out of money, but this time behind the face of religion.

Wow, you must have had a bad experience with Thai monks.. please accept my apologies for any wrong done to you by any monks. don't paint all Buddhist monks with the same brush.. and not all catholic priests are pedophiles..

It was a joke, sorry if that offended you . . . Never personally had any bad experiences with Catholic priests, Imams or Monks. I live next to a temple and I am very appreciative every time they have a cremation ceremony, I get a nice waft of BBQ passing by my window . . . dam_n, that makes me hungry just thinking about it, off to get some Hat Yai fried chicken mmmmmm, soothes my soul.

I am not religious and therefore don't mind taking the piss out of all the major religions, I do not discriminate. I do have respect for anyone that participates in religion, just don't push it on me. Have a good one brother.

[blackthorn2005]

pfffffffff, they only cheated thais, as we farang CANNOT OWN LAND OR HOUSE 5555

Be grateful;o)