The Cyber Police have arrested three Thai suspects linked to a call center scam after they tricked individuals into working on Facebook for supplementary income, leading to financial losses. This scheme resulted in the heartbreaking case of a 28-year-old woman who committed suicide after losing over 338,000 baht, which she had saved to retrieve her land title.
On September 29, 2024, law enforcement acted on orders from senior police officials to apprehend Nattaya Moolsri, 19, from Samut Prakan, Uthai Areerab, 44, from Sa Kaeo, and Manop Chimtong, 59, from Nakhon Ratchasima, following arrest warrants issued by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court.
The investigation stemmed from the suicide of Sudarat Bua Saen, a traditional massage therapist from Nakhon Phanom, who jumped into the Chao Phraya River on September 6, 2024, after falling victim to the scammers. Over the course of two days, she was tricked into transferring money eight times to the perpetrators, depleting her account as she sought to secure her land title which was mortgaged.
Following her death, police identified several accomplices involved in the scam and secured the arrest of three suspects, with efforts ongoing to locate two others.
The suspects were found to have opened both regular and digital asset bank accounts. Victims’ funds were transferred through various accounts in a complex scheme to evade detection. These hybrid accounts allowed for anonymized transactions and continued use even when flagged by authorities, complicating efforts to trace the stolen money.
Authorities have emphasized the need for stricter regulations regarding digital asset transactions to help prevent further scams, suggesting that biometric verification could be helpful in protecting potential victims. The article also highlights the legislative gaps that hinder effective law enforcement against these scams.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
