Bank Staff Foil Call-Center Scam, Save Pensioner's 2 Million Baht
Bank employees in Khun Thale, Surat Thani, spotted a suspicious withdrawal request from a 62-year-old pensioner and alerted police, thwarting a call-center scam that could have stolen over 2 million baht. The woman had already lost about 226,300 baht in earlier transfers to fraudsters posing as a share-app promoter. Police and bank staff worked together to secure her funds and provide guidance on avoiding future fraud.
On October 14, officers from Khun Thale Police Station in Surat Thani province, together with staff from the Government Savings Bank Khun Thale branch, rescued a 62-year-old female pensioner who was about to be swindled out of more than 2 million baht by a call-center gang. The bank had become suspicious when the woman insisted on withdrawing her savings lottery account balance, threatening to sue staff if they refused. Assistant branch manager Sirirat Thanachoti consulted Police Lieutenant UdomSak Martmali of the Surat Thani City Police, who dispatched investigators to verify the situation. The investigators gathered evidence and escorted the woman to file a complaint. Police Colonel Piyawat Bua Khao, commander of Khun Thale Police Station, later briefed the victim and her relatives, advising them on how to avoid further fraud. Investigators learned that the scam began on October 9 when the victim saw a Facebook post about buying a share-app, added a Line contact using the alias Prakasit Sutthatsongkhram, and was persuaded to transfer money in increments of 300, 1,000, 5,000, 20,000, 100,000 and 100,000 baht. When she tried to withdraw the funds, the scammers refused, claiming she had not followed a daily log, and had already taken 226,300 baht from her Krung Thai and Kasikorn bank accounts. The gang then demanded additional transfers before allowing any withdrawal, prompting the victim to attempt a third withdrawal at the Government Savings Bank. Bank staff noticed the irregularity, contacted police, and prevented the loss of the remaining 2 million baht.
