Tougher sentences needed for online fraudsters, says consumer group

[webfact]

Tougher sentences needed for online fraudsters, says consumer group

 

Image: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- Dozens of people who have fallen victim to various online cons presented themselves to the Crime Suppression Division yesterday.

 

Now calls have been made to get tough with the fraudsters and start giving them proper sentences along the lines of those handed out to drugs gangs, reported Daily News.

 

Samart Jenchaijitrawanich represented the victims as head of a consumer protection group called "Stop Money Game" in English.

 

He said: "The government needs to get tough on criminals who are tricking the public. There needs to be changes in the law to allow for more severe sentences.

 

"They should send people to prison for long terms like they do for drugs offences".

 

He outlined three separate cons that were happening on Facebook and the Line application one involving FOREX trading. 

 

All involved initial small profits before victims were lured into parting with more money, when the fraudsters would promptly disappear. His organization mostly deals with those that lave lost money on Ponzi schemes.

 

Thirty complainants joined him at the CSD all armed with documents in evidence.

 

Samart claimed that the first case involved a fraudster who is a local government politician in the southern town of Pattalung. The con man said he had a billion baht government contract but needed a cash flow of 1.5 million a day to keep it afloat. 

 

People were promised 30% interest in six days if they invested - 33 did just that being fleeced of 40 million baht. Samart said he had faced personal threats when he said he would go public in the matter.

 

In the second case involving FOREX customers were invited to join packages of Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond. The only essential difference in the packages was how much you would lose in the end.

 

People were told they would get 30% of their investment for introducing new customers. The "Diamond" package was limited to a 120,000 baht investment.

 

Everyone made money at first then stepped up their commitment. Samart said 66 people were known to him with losses in the region of 300 million baht. One person lost 2.3 million alone.

 

In a third scheme on Facebook an attractive page enticed the gullible with beauty products. But when they contacted the company they were invited to invest in a scheme that would yield 30% profit on 1,000 baht in six days. 

 

They got this but when they invested more heavily all they got was silence. Some 57 victims lost 10 million baht on this one, said Samart.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-08-04

[Thian]

I agree, my bank and creditcard and paypal all have issues with Thailand which is on the black list.

 

Fraude with stolen creditcards should be standard jailterm of at least 30 years.

 

But the Thai can't even stop vehicles driving against traffic in the most busy spot of their country so i won't hold my breath.

[Chapelroad]

'They should send people to prison for log terms like they do for drug offenses'

 

I have read several time on TV that someone has been caught in connection to a drug offense.

 

It then reports that they have already been incarcerated two or three times before, for similar offenses !

 

I know some people do get severe sentences, but it doesn't seem the norm here.

[selftaopath]

In the Land of Scams (LOS) what can one expect?  Realistically, corruption is endemic to this society. 

 

Interesting that Thais don't understand the positive correlation between corruption and poverty. 

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, Thian said:

I agree, my bank and creditcard and paypal all have issues with Thailand which is on the black list.

 

Fraude with stolen creditcards should be standard jailterm of at least 30 years.

 

But the Thai can't even stop vehicles driving against traffic in the most busy spot of their country so i won't hold my breath.

Its a revolving door system here. Pay 200 bahts at the cashier's cage. Although fraud is a serious crime there are many more serious ones at the top of the list that need addressing to many to go into detail here. 

Edited August 4, 2016 by elgordo38

[Emster23]

I don't suppose this consumer group would wish to do an outreach to expats here. They'd probably get swamped besides losing any creds they might have with authorities... all those pesky farangs.

[phantomfiddler]

There should be a regular program every week where these <deleted> are seen to be executed, slow motion, so we can see their expression change as the bullet enters the brain and exits  They do not have the guts to pull a straight out bank robbery, hiding behind the safety of some pokey little hotel room, but they should be seen as what they are,  MAJOR criminals

[digibum]

I'm curious what makes cybercrime different from outright scamming?  A few Thais lose some money and they want to throw the book at the perpetrators but guys stand right outside the Grand Palace every day and scam tourists.  How is this any different?  Because a credit card wasn't involved?  

 

And, sorry, but if you fall for the old, and "a gazillion percent return guaranteed" line then you're just as gullible as the people who send money to help a Nigerian prince claim his millions.   

 

How many farangs are bilked out of their entire life savings by conwomen but you don't see a bunch of Thais standing in a police station pleading that Thais be locked up for long sentences for that.  

 

Thailand also happens to be the home of some of the biggest boiler room scams in the world but they only scam other farangs so nobody cares about that.  

 

I don't want to sound uncaring but until Thais quit caring only about themselves I have a hard time shedding any tears for the gullible who send people they don't know money because they read on Facebook they can get a 30% return on their money in 30 days.  Som nom na.  

[mesterm]

What about offline fraudsters? Some of them come in uniform...

[swanny321]

Apparently I'm in line for a $250 million dollar windfall from the government of Oogaboogerland!