Thai police apprehended 43 year old man in Wang Nam Khiao district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, and charged with fraud and providing false information to a computer system. The suspect, Patcharat, linked to a call centre gang in Poipet, was preparing to enter the monkhood to evade legal consequences.
The arrest yesterday, June 23, followed an investigation triggered by a complaint from a victim who encountered an online scam. The victim was misled by a Facebook page promoting an egg-based protein product under the guise of a marketing campaign with the slogan Free Giveaway – Cash Back.
Participants were enticed to transfer money to supposedly accumulate points and earn rewards. The victim transferred 196,000 baht (US$5,980) over six transactions to an account advised by the page’s administrator.
Further investigation revealed one of the accounts used by the fraudsters belonged to Patcharat. When the victim attempted to withdraw their money, they were told they had made a procedural error and needed to deposit an additional 300,000 baht (US$9,155) to complete the transaction. Realising the scam, the victim reported the incident to Chaiyaphum police.
Police discovered Patcharat’s involvement through the linked bank account, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants for all associated people. Patcharat was apprehended while wearing white robes and preparing for ordination at a temple.
During questioning, Patcharat confessed to working in Poipet, Cambodia, with a call centre network, where he was responsible for facial scanning and opening mule accounts for the gang.
He received 5,000 baht (US$150) per account, earning around 10,000 baht (US$305) over ten days before returning to Thailand via unofficial channels to prepare for monkhood. However, he was arrested before the ordination could take place, reported KhaoSod.
Additionally, Patcharat had a pending arrest warrant from the Don Mueang court in 2022 for another fraud case. He was handed over to the Chaiyaphum police for further legal proceedings.
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