University Student Loses 1.78 Million Baht to Elaborate Scholarship Scam
A 22-year-old Bangkok university student lost 1.78 million baht to scammers who posed as police and a US scholarship program, conning her into transferring money by falsely claiming her ID was used in a money-laundering case.
Bangkok — Thailand's Anti-Online Scam Centre (ACSC) rescued a 22-year-old female university student who was allegedly manipulated by a call scam gang into telling her parents she had received a scholarship to study in the United States before being tricked into transferring more than 1.78 million Baht.
The operation was carried out under the direction of Deputy Police Chief Pol. Gen. Thana Chuwong, director of the Police Cyber Taskforce, and Pol. Lt. Gen. Jiraphop Phuridech, assistant police chief and deputy director of the taskforce.
ASC officials coordinated with the Crime Suppression Division Region 1 and Pathum Thani police to locate and assist the woman at a hotel room in Prachathipat subdistrict, Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani. When officers arrived, they found the woman in a frightened and confused state, having been kept under continuous telephone control by the scammers.
The scam began on September 5 when the woman received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer from Muang Phichit Police Station. The caller alleged that someone had used a copy of her national ID card to open a bank account in Phichit province linked to a money-laundering case. The scammer claimed an arrested suspect had told police that the woman had sold a copy of her ID card due to financial difficulties and agreed to let criminals use it to open a mule account in exchange for 10-20% of proceeds.
Although initially skeptical, the woman later received another call from someone claiming to work at a telecommunications network headquarters, alleging that her national ID number had been used to purchase a mobile phone SIM card in Phichit. The caller advised her to report the matter to police to prove her innocence.
When she contacted the fake police officer again, she was told to transfer 1 million Baht to a designated bank account so the money could be checked to verify she was not involved in the case. Because she did not have the money, the scammers instructed her to ask her father for it. She was told to tell him she had received a scholarship to study in the United States but needed to place 1 million Baht in a bank account as proof of financial status. The scammers claimed this was only a verification process and the money would be returned once checks cleared her.
The woman believed the story and asked her father for 1 million Baht, transferring it to her own account before sending it to an account controlled by the scam network at 16:04. The scammers then switched communications to Telegram and instructed her to make five additional transfers between September 7 and 8.
