Cyber police arrested three suspects from a scam network who deceived retired civil servants into gold investments by luring them with high returns, resulting in victims transferring over 1.1 million baht.
On 31 Jan 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembut, Commander of the Cyber Crime Division, along with Pol. Lt. Gen. Naradet Thiprak, Police Commissioner assigned to the Royal Thai Police Headquarters assisting the Cyber Crime Division, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Wiwat Kamchamarn, Deputy Commander of the Cyber Crime Division, and Pol. Maj. Gen. Komkrit Sukthai, ordered Pol. Col. Adichart Amornpradit, Chief of the Intelligence and Special Tools Division, Cyber Crime Division 3, with Pol. Lt. Thawatch Thukruea and Pol. Lt. Somporn Butrawong, officers of the same division,
to lead forces to arrest three suspects in a gold investment scam network: Mr. Jaroon Kanaphan, 30, from Ubon Ratchathani, wanted under Surin Provincial Court arrest warrant no. 48/2026, apprehended in Kamphaeng Phet; Mr. Uthakarn Maneerat, 37, from Samut Prakan, wanted under warrant no. 45/2026, arrested in Samut Prakan; and Mr. Paitoon Naka, 34, from Nong Bua Lamphu, wanted under warrant no. 44/2026, arrested in Nong Bua Lamphu.
They face charges of "collaborative fraud by impersonation, introducing distorted or false computer data into a system which may cause damage to others or the public," either wholly or in part.
The case began around June 2024 when the victim, a retired female civil servant, was contacted by a Facebook user named “Bao Mac Kongwehha,” who used a profile picture of a handsome young man and sent a friend request. He falsely claimed to be the head of accounting at the Provincial Electricity Authority in Bueng Kan. They started chatting and became close, eventually moving their conversation to the Line app.
Once the victim trusted him, he persuaded her to invest in gold futures trading and foreign currency trading through a website called poldxau.net. She was asked to download an app named “Mike X,” with promises of high returns. After downloading, the victim filled out forms and submitted photos of her ID card, passport, other personal information, and her signature.
The victim transferred money several times to invest but ultimately could not withdraw any funds. Realizing she had been scammed by a fraud gang, she suffered a total loss of 1,181,237.36 baht and reported the case to cyber police to pursue legal action against the scammers.
Subsequently, investigators identified the perpetrators and obtained court approval to issue arrest warrants for eight network members who operated mule accounts. Three suspects have been arrested, three others detained in various prisons on unrelated charges have been frozen, and two remain at large. All initially confessed and are now under custody pending further legal proceedings.