An elderly woman nearly handed over 5 million baht to scammers, then turned on the real police who tried to stop her, claiming they were the fraudsters.
The 83 year old granny had fallen victim to a sophisticated scam, believing she was following instructions from a suppsed high-ranking officer. When real police showed up at her Bangkok home to stop the transfer, she refused to believe that they were legitimate and even accused them of interfering with official business.
The drama began when staff at her bank noticed irregular withdrawals and alerted the Online Crime Operations Centre (AOC 1441), an agency under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. They quickly flagged the incident and notified Phra Khanong Police Station, who dispatched officers to intervene.
When officers arrived, they were met with hostility. The grandmother not only dismissed their warnings but reportedly cursed them outside her house and called the scammer mid-confrontation to complain that police were interfering with the transfer.
Officers could only appeal to community leaders to step in and help educate the woman about the scam. According to reports, she remained convinced that the voice on the phone, posing as a police officer, was more trustworthy than the real officers standing at her gate.
Despite her resistance, police later confirmed the woman had already transferred money five times before the intervention.
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September 3: 3.5 million baht deposited in cash
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September 4: 400,000 baht transferred
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September 5: 300,000 baht transferred
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September 8: 300,000 baht transferred
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September 10: 450,000 baht transferred
The total loss: a staggering 4.95 million baht.
Police Colonel Phumiyot Lekkla, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 5, said the bank’s alert and AOC’s rapid coordination helped prevent further loss.
“We were able to freeze 2.5 million baht before it vanished.”
However, the woman hadn’t yet filed a formal report.
Officers are now investigating the chain of bank accounts linked to the scam and working to recover the remaining funds. Meanwhile, the victim, still convinced of the scammer’s identity, has filed a complaint against the police, reported Thairath.
The story Bangkok gran blasts cops for blocking 5 million baht transfer as seen on Thaiger News.
