Cyber police tracked down and arrested three suspects operating mule accounts in a "romance scam" gang. Using profiles of handsome men, they deceived a 53-year-old female victim into trusting them with the idea of sharing a life together, then persuaded her to invest. The transfers started from hundreds of baht and gradually increased up to 2 million baht per transaction. Ultimately, the victim transferred money 56 times, totaling over 10 million baht.
On 16 Jan 2024 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembutr, Commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), along with Pol. Lt. Gen. Naradet Thiprak, Permanent Commander at the Royal Thai Police Headquarters assisting CCIB, Pol. Maj. Gen. Wiwat Kamchamarn, Deputy CCIB Commander, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Thinkorn Rangmat, Deputy CCIB Commander, ordered Pol. Maj. Gen. Siriwat Deepho, Commander of CCIB Division 1, and Pol. Col. Rotsak Naiphongsri, Chief of Division 2, CCIB Division 1, to lead forces with arrest warrants from the Phra Khanong Criminal Court to arrest Ms. Wannawisa Wancham, 47, from Sa Kaeo province; Mr. Donvee Srasit, 20, from Prachinburi province; and Mr. Jittaruwat Khrueachan, 41, also from Prachinburi province.
They were charged with "jointly committing fraud against the public and jointly, by deceit or dishonesty, inputting distorted or fake computer data, whether in whole or in part, or false computer data, in a manner likely to cause damage to the public."
The case began around June 2024 GMT+7 when a 53-year-old female victim joined a public Facebook group named "Retired and Looking for Friends to Chat and Eat Together." Subsequently, scammers using attractive male profile pictures contacted her to chat about general topics via Messenger before moving their conversations daily to the Line application.
Later, the victim found the Line connection poor, which hindered their conversations, so they switched to phone calls. The suspect regularly expressed concern and care. Since the victim was single and living alone, the scammer used psychological tactics to persuade and give hope, saying he wanted someone trustworthy to walk through life together, essentially deceiving her into love and the idea of a shared life, which built her trust.
Afterward, the scammer began encouraging the victim to earn money online by sending her a link to download a platform called "LeLong." He taught her to register as a member, set up an online store, and upload photos of both sides of her ID card to the platform. He also instructed her on how to use the platform and upload products. Initially, the scammer said customers wanted to buy products and asked the victim to transfer 473.14 baht to place an order. She received real profits and could withdraw money. More orders followed, and the scammer used various reasons to persuade her to keep transferring money, starting from hundreds and increasing to 2 million baht per transfer.
Each time, the system provided different bank account numbers. Even when the victim became suspicious, the scammer claimed that due to many customers, the accounts reached transfer limits, so multiple accounts were needed. Ultimately, the victim transferred money 56 times, totaling over 10 million baht, but only received about 4,000 baht in returns. Realizing she was scammed, she reported the case to cyber police to pursue legal action against the scammers.
The investigation team of Division 2, CCIB Division 1, traced all involved parties in the operation and collected evidence to obtain court approval for 43 arrest warrants. Ten suspects had previously been arrested, and the police then tracked and arrested three more suspects involved in operating mule accounts: Ms. Wannawisa Wancham in Sa Kaeo province, Mr. Donvee Srasit in Chonburi province, and Mr. Jittaruwat Khrueachan in Pathum Thani province.
During preliminary questioning, all suspects confessed. They were then handed over to investigators of Division 2, CCIB Division 1, to proceed with legal actions.