Call Center Scammers Impersonate DSI and Police, Dupe 19-Year-Old Student Out of 1.1 Million Baht

On May 20, 2025, Nath, a 19-year-old student from Phen District, Udon Thani Province, filed a complaint with Wirrapol Raksemwong, Mayor of Ban Dung Municipality, seeking assistance after being scammed by a call center gang. He explained through tears how the scheme unfolded: In December 2024, someone called claiming to be an AMLO official, accusing him of involvement in money laundering connected to someone named M, and sent photos asking if he knew the person. The caller conducted a video call while wearing a police uniform. They then claimed his personal information had been used to open a bank account in Nong Bua Lamphu Province and transferred him to someone purporting to be a DSI officer who asked detailed questions. Nath initially remained skeptical, but when the scammer suspended the call and asked him to provide his True Money account number, he became convinced of their legitimacy due to their access to official-looking documents.

The scammers then instructed him to transfer money for verification of whether it was proceeds from illegal activity. He first sent 1,500 baht from money his mother had given him weekly, followed by 2.99 baht from another account to a bank account bearing the AMLO office name—a move that further convinced him. The gang then claimed to be investigating whether bank officials were complicit, stating that DSI was monitoring the banks. They subsequently informed him that 901,111 baht, 151,196 baht, and 49,999 baht—totaling 1,102,306 baht—would be deposited and asked him to transfer the funds to three accounts. Believing them to be legitimate officials, he complied. Shortly after, the scammers became unreachable.

When Nath attempted to close his bank account, he learned it had been frozen by Huai Phueng Police Station in Kalasin Province. Police instructed him to contact them immediately. Upon visiting the station with his parents, he discovered another victim—a person who had lost over a million baht. That person said they had already filed a report and wanted to settle the matter through mediation, seeking 400,000 baht back from Nath. Since Nath and his family had no additional funds and were themselves victims of the scam, they requested justice.

Police at Huai Phueng Station advised them to also file a complaint at Rangsit Police Station. However, the other victim remained insistent on extracting the 400,000 baht from Nath. Distraught and tearful, Nath expressed his distress, having never encountered such a situation and unsure where to find money to pay, as he himself had been defrauded.

Phanumasat Jitrawasinkul, administrator of the "Helper Pia" Facebook page, advised Nath not to pay definitively until certain of the victim's legitimacy, as it remains unclear whether they are connected to the original scammers. He noted that it was suspicious the alleged million-baht victim was only demanding 400,000 baht back. He recommended Nath hire a lawyer to fight the case in court, as both parties were victims of the same call center gang.

Phanumasat issued a warning: If anyone claims to be a government official, do not comply. Assume it's a call center scam immediately. Parents should especially monitor teenagers during this period, or they too risk falling victim to such schemes.