'Shogun' arrested over alleged Japan trip scam

[webfact]

'Shogun' arrested over alleged Japan trip scam
By The Nation

 

 

More than 1,000 fall victim to 'false' promise on social media by food supplement firm

 

RANONG: -- POLICE YESTERDAY arrested Pasit Ariyalapit, known as “Shogun”, the founder and chief executive of food supplement firm WealthEver, which has been accused of cheating more than 1,000 people who were promised a three-day Songkran trip to Japan but were left stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night.

 

Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning. Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first and family names 10 times between 2000 and last September, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. 

 

Six criminal cases were filed against her including embezzlement and swindle over the past five years. She also faced three arrest warrants in 2012, 2015 and 2016. According to police, WealthEver’s office turned out to be a home address in Nakhon Sawan province, while its registered capital was only Bt2 million.

 

Reacting to the widespread fallout of the case, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said it would seek cooperation from Facebook and Line social media platforms to help prevent dishonest businesses from luring customers to join Ponzi and similar schemes.

 

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said most customers of WealthEver were attracted to its low-priced tour packages to Japan via social media where the company’s cheap holiday incentive was advertised.

 

Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific also filed charges with police against the Thai firm for falsely using the Hong Kong-based airline’s name as the provider of the chartered flights. 

 

According to police, each of the customers were lured into buying food supplements worth Bt13,000-Bt15,000 from WealthEver in return for a free return trip to Japan.

 

Kobkarn said this type of fraud was new in Thailand but the damage was wide-ranging because hundreds of people were cheated via online media so authorities would have to gather more evidence to file criminal charges against the firm and its executives.

 

So far more than 30 people have filed complaints at the Crime Suppression Division while others said they would file complaints at local police stations after returning to their hometowns.

 

The tourism minister said officials are finding ways to enforce tourism and related laws against WealthEver, which said it did not provide tour services but only offered holiday packages to customers who bought its products as an incentive.

 

Pongpanu Sawetarun, permanent secretary at the Tourism Ministry, said rules and regulations would be amended to cover dishonest tour and related businesses that use online 

 

 media to cheat unsuspecting customers. In addition, various government agencies will have to join forces to crack down on illegal Ponzi or pyramid schemes that lure customers to their networks.

 

At present, the tourism industry has faced more complaints on dishonest onlined tour operators and trave agents which may not have any physical offices, making it difficult for authorities to take legal actions against them.Krisnut Meesamran, vice president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said WealthEver had offered its tour packages to Japan free of charge to customers who bought its food supplements worth 13,000-15,000 per person. About two months ago, the association issued a warning to its members to be cautious about providing travel services to the firm because the price was unusually low for Japan-bound tour packages, which start at Bt30,000-40,000 per person.

 

He said customers cannot get compensation if they use unlicensed travel service providers, such as in this case.

 

Meanwhile, Pornchai Thiraveja, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, said Finance Ministry officials had been jointly investigating with police whether executives of WealthEver had violated the law by offering the Ponzi scheme.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312176

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-13

[ezzra]

 

How come a crock, a scoundrel and a serial swindler was allowed to

chance names so times and times again and continue opening new

business over and over again unimpeded, right under the noses of

the law? ......

 

[colinneil]

Probably get fined 1000 baht, then free to carry on conning people.

Why is it so easy for people here to change their names whenever they want?

[cyberfarang]

I don`t believe a Thai would have the organisation skills to perpetrate a scam on this level. Bet, there are probably foreigners behind this who used these Thai characters as pawns in the game or the sacrificial lambs. I also bet the bulk of the money is no longer in the country and has been laundered out abroad.

[Sphere]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

She also faced three arrest warrants in 2012, 2015 and 2016.

 

 

Police were going to get around to enforcing those soon after they were done playing with the traffic lights. 

 

[jaltsc]

"According to police, each of the customers were lured into buying food supplements worth Bt13,000-Bt15,000 from WealthEver in return for a free return trip to Japan."

 

Wait until they discover that the "food supplements" give them diabetes.

 

[PatOngo]

Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning. Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first and family names 10 times between 2000 and last September, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. 

 

Owwww! I'm confused.

[darksidedog]

And what was our marvelous legal system doing about the scams she was arrested for over the last 5 years? Clearly very little.

If the system was worth anything at all, she would have been in jail, long before she pulled this scam off.

[AGareth2]

has she been given bail yet?

no flight risk as she doesn't know how to purchase airline tickets

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Probably get fined 1000 baht, then free to carry on conning people.

Why is it so easy for people here to change their names whenever they want?

 

Probably move into scams for labour jobs abroad. 

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, cyberfarang said:

I don`t believe a Thai would have the organisation skills to perpetrate a scam on this level. Bet, there are probably foreigners behind this who used these Thai characters as pawns in the game or the sacrificial lambs. I also bet the bulk of the money is no longer in the country and has been laundered out abroad.

Are you kidding, it sounds like she had a lot of practice at scamming!

[dotpoom]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

 

How come a crock, a scoundrel and a serial swindler was allowed to

chance names so times and times again and continue opening new

business over and over again unimpeded, right under the noses of

the law? ......

 

Probably because every time one changes their name it is a "first" time for that name .....same with opening a business.

[newatthis]

20 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning. Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first and family names 10 times between 2000 and last September, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. 

 

Owwww! I'm confused.

You beat me to that. Obviously had numerous sex change operations, too?????

[hgma]

my information tells me  even the 'wealthever' thing was not a registered company.

Ponzi by the way, is now referred to as a triangle business" to avoid clever locals start googling.

[KIWIBATCH]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

How come a crock, a scoundrel and a serial swindler was allowed to

chance names so times and times again and continue opening new

business over and over again unimpeded, right under the noses of

the law? ......

 

...together with outstanding arrest warrants from 2012..2015...and 2016...(Somebody sitting on their arse again?).....yet it seems they were able to arrest her quite quickly yesterday at her location. 

[khwaibah]

So what is this thing he/she/it?

 

"Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning."

 

"Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first and family names 10 times between 2000 and last September, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. "

 

[Raymonddiaz]

1 hour ago, cyberfarang said:

I don`t believe a Thai would have the organisation skills to perpetrate a scam on this level. Bet, there are probably foreigners behind this who used these Thai characters as pawns in the game or the sacrificial lambs. I also bet the bulk of the money is no longer in the country and has been laundered out abroad.

you think the same as the current regime.Thai people are not smart enough....

[worgeordie]

So she seems to have been scamming people over many years

with impunity, then got greedy and went for the big one,maybe

thinking the Police dont seem interested in catching me,so I

can get away with a big scam this time as  well.

 

There should be a parallel investigation into what the Police 

where doing all these years,she was scamming people,maybe

that should be what they were not doing.

regards Worgeordie

[soalbundy]

13,000 Baht for food supplements and a return ticket to Japan, what could go wrong with an offer like that, some people cry out ''scam me''

[Mickmouse1]

Irrespective of the picture,  is S/he  female or male?

 

Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning. Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

I don`t believe a Thai would have the organisation skills to perpetrate a scam on this level. Bet, there are probably foreigners behind this who used these Thai characters as pawns in the game or the sacrificial lambs. I also bet the bulk of the money is no longer in the country and has been laundered out abroad.

 

Can't agree with that, there are plenty of highly inelligent and capable people in this country, many managing international management consulting companies and doing very well, many Thais manage the national operations of giant mult-nationals, continuously building and adjusting and implementing business strategies because of intense clever business competition and doing well, etc.

 

 

The sad part, for Thailand, is that plenty of these capable folks would like to contribute a lot more to their country but avoid politics like the plague - they don't want to be associated with it.  

Edited April 13, 2017 by scorecard

[Ulic]

Yes but it's a first offence.................Under her/his current name.

[Rhys]

Hmmm, dog and pony show, nothing happens, no refunds... sorry let the buyer beware...

 

It is out back on the street with another name.. All remain status quo...

 

[FitnessHealthTravel]

What is amazing is in Thailand you can change your name DAILY if you want. Both first and last names.  They might want to review that Law!

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

I don`t believe a Thai would have the organisation skills to perpetrate a scam on this level. Bet, there are probably foreigners behind this who used these Thai characters as pawns in the game or the sacrificial lambs. I also bet the bulk of the money is no longer in the country and has been laundered out abroad.

You can believe it... 6 criminal cases over the last 5 years, 3 previous arrest warrants... she knew exactly what she was doing, no help required!

[brianj1964]

5 hours ago, hgma said:

my information tells me  even the 'wealthever' thing was not a registered company.

Ponzi by the way, is now referred to as a triangle business" to avoid clever locals start googling.

its actually referred to as pyramid scheme, never heard the word triangle used for this, but same shape

[KenKadz]

If it sounds too good to be true.....

Victims of their own greed.

[Tony125]

6 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Pasit, 31, was picked up by police in Ranong province after five of his relatives were detained for questioning. Pasit, whose original name was Sahachom Nakharit, changed her first and family names 10 times between 2000 and last September, according to a police source familiar with the investigation. 

 

Owwww! I'm confused.

Why confused ? She's a " Tom"

[PatOngo]

24 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

Why confused ? She's a " Tom"

Confused at the mentality of the person who wrote this.

[BWPattaya]

4 hours ago, FitnessHealthTravel said:

What is amazing is in Thailand you can change your name DAILY if you want. Both first and last names.  They might want to review that Law!

In the U.K. You can change your name as often as you want. GBP 30