Thread: Number of victims of Thai phone scam gangs rising

Number of victims of Thai phone scam gangs rising


Number of victims of Thai phone scam gangs rising


วันอาทิตย์ ที่ 08 ส.ค. 2553

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BANGKOK, Aug 8 - The number of Thais being cheated by phone scam gangs who deceive them into transferring money into criminals' accounts using automatic teller machine (ATM) services is rising, a senior Bank of Thailand (BoT) official warned.

Kamthon Prasertsom, a BoT senior specialist in onsite examinations, said statistics compiled in early August found that 1,672 persons had been cheated by such gangs, with 31 victims losing more than Bt4 million each.

The BoT official believes that the number of people lured into completing such transactions is probably higher but that those who have been victimised did not file complaints for fear of losing face.

Statistics in July showed that only five persons filed complaints regarding such scams with the authorities, with a frequent scenario being that they were told by the gang to transfer money into the gang’s bank accounts by ATM to settle debts owed to financial institutions, Mr Kamthon said.

He said the central bank would refer the complaints to the Royal Thai Police Bureau (RTPB) so that the police could investigate the incidents and apprehend the culprits.

The central bank, the police and other government agencies have agreed to publicise the scams by sending SMS messages to cell phone holders to be wary of them, as their number is on the increase, he said.

Currently, warning messages could be seen on ATM screens and broadcast by television and radio stations but they may not be sufficient and might not reach every sector, Mr Kamthon added. (MCOT online news)