Loei: A 32-year-old woman was deceived by a scammer gang posing as a consular officer, leading to a financial loss of nearly a million baht. The victim, who had aspirations to work in Canada, fell prey to an intricate scheme orchestrated through social media interactions.
According to Thai News Agency, the woman from Loei Province approached reporters to file a complaint and seek assistance from relevant agencies, while also warning others of the scam. On November 17th, she discovered a Facebook page of a recruitment company that appeared credible, boasting over 8,000 followers. She reached out to the page's administrator via the Line app, who assured her that a consular officer would soon be in touch.
Subsequently, she received a message from a Line account associated with the Consular Department. A man claiming to be a consular officer outlined the process for her Canadian employment and requested personal documents, including her bank account's front page. She was instructed to transfer 300,000 baht for money verification, with the promise of an immediate refund. However, complications arose, prompting the impostor to request additional transfers totaling 300,000 baht, ostensibly to obtain an OTP code required to unlock her account.
The following day, the scammer contacted her again, demanding another 300,000 baht to retrieve her funds. This led the victim to sell 11 baht worth of gold and borrow 50,000 baht from a friend, culminating in a total loss of 950,000 baht. Her husband, suspecting foul play, reported the incident to the Muang Loei Police Station, resulting in the immediate freezing of her bank account. Despite this, the scammers continued to harass her with calls.
The victim expressed her distress over losing her life savings and the gold she had worked hard to acquire, which she intended to use for her child's education and family support. She urged the police to apprehend the culprits and recover the stolen funds, hoping to prevent others from experiencing a similar ordeal.