Terrified student rescued from scammers posing as police who threatened her with fake money laundering charges
A terrified university student was rescued from scammers allegedly posing as police officers to threaten her with fake money laundering charges.
The fourth-year student, from Nakhon Ratchasima in northeast Thailand, had reportedly been called by the fraudsters who falsely accused her of being involved in crime.
They allegedly told her that her phone number was linked to a money laundering case before transferring the call to a man claiming to be a police officer from the local station.
The student was then threatened with legal action and ordered to join a video call on Line. She was allegedly warned not to tell anyone about the case as she kept in contact with the suspects for around three days.
Fearing that she would be prosecuted, the student followed their instructions.
They had her forge a university document claiming she needed 856,000 baht for a three-month student exchange programme in Japan.
The student then called her father to transfer the money.
But the parent became suspicious when the alleged scammers demanded more funds 'for verification purposes'. He reported the case to Pho Klang Police Station.
Police found that the money had been sent to more than 10 different bank accounts and are investigating whether they were mule accounts linked to the scam gang.
Officers raided the student's dormitory in the Suranari subdistrict on September 24, where the scammers ordered her to move.
Officers reportedly found the student 'in a state of fear' while she was still on a video call with the scammers.
She told police that she had complied with their demands because she was scared of being arrested.
Cops seized her mobile phone, bank transfer slips and other evidence as they work to trace the suspected scam network.
Police Captain Aomjai Inthisaen, deputy inspector at the Pho Klang Police Station, warned the public to be wary of callers claiming to be police.
He said: 'If you receive a call claiming that you are involved in money laundering or another criminal case, or demanding that you transfer money for ‘account verification', do not believe the caller and under no circumstances transfer any money. Stay calm, contact your family or notify the police immediately so the matter can be investigated.'
The rescue comes amid a spate of similar scams across Thailand.
The Anti Cyber Scam Centre said three students had lost more than 2.7 million baht to fraudsters posing as police in Khon Kaen, Ranong and Bangkok.
The scheme is a common tactic used by call centre gangs. Many of them are based in Thailand or in neighbouring Cambodia and Myanmar.
