Investigators from Kantharawichai Police Station raided to rescue a student from a prestigious Mahasarakham university who was threatened by a call center gang claiming she was involved in illegal activities. They tricked her into moving to a daily rental room and forced her to recite scripts to extort 50,000 baht from her parents, alleging it was for an overseas study trip. Family and friends noticed suspicious behavior and quickly informed the police, who found her.
On 31 July 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Suwanchai Sita, Deputy Chief of the Investigation Unit at Kantharawichai Police Station, led officers to check a daily rental room in Tha Khonyang Subdistrict, Kantharawichai District, Mahasarakham Province, to assist Mr. A (alias), a second-year student at a leading university in Mahasarakham. He had fallen victim to a call center gang that tricked him into confining himself in a room and following the gang's script to deceive his parents into transferring 50,000 baht for overseas study purposes.
Lieutenant Colonel Suwanchai Sita revealed that the victim, Mr. A (alias), received a call from a call center gang claiming to be from a mobile network operator. They said someone had used his ID card without consent to open an account linked to suspicious transactions. The gang accurately recited his ID number and name, then transferred the call to a fake police officer from Mueang Loei Police Station. Claiming poor signal, they asked Mr. A to add them on Line and conduct a video call. They instructed him to move from his original residence to a daily rental room to monitor for suspicious behavior. Mr. A shared his phone screen and helped find a hiding place. The gang also called his parents to demand 50,000 baht for an overseas study visit.
Friends who lived with Mr. A became suspicious when he disappeared and helped search for him. They informed faculty members before filing a police report to assist in locating him. Mr. A's uncle also spoke with him, informing him he was being deceived by a call center gang, until authorities were able to rescue him.
Mr. A, a second-year student, said the call center gang claimed to be from a mobile network operator, accusing him of opening a new SIM card under his name and using it suspiciously. The call was then transferred to a fake police officer from Mueang Loei Police Station. Later, the fake officer asked him to add them on Line and sent a government ID card as proof, claiming to be a real policeman. The real police checked and found the name, surname, and position were genuine, but the photo was actually of a "Nai Roi Poi Pet" (an ambiguous reference possibly to a fictional or impersonator figure).
He trusted them because he believed in his innocence and was willing to cooperate with authorities. The fake police sent detailed arrest documents related to a drug case via Line, including official government emblems, photos of officers arresting suspects, evidence, and many bankbooks, making it appear credible, so he was convinced.
At that time, he had about 1,300 baht in his account. The call center gang told him to call his parents to transfer 50,000 baht and instructed him to follow a script saying the university had a program to send students abroad for study visits, requiring a visa and 50,000 baht in the account. Normally, he would not ask for such a large amount, only small expenses. His parents became suspicious and did not transfer the money.
Later, he spoke on the phone with his uncle, who told him he was being scammed. He then left the hiding place at the rental room. Overall, he spent nearly 24 hours communicating with the call center gang.
Meanwhile, his friends and parents noticed his disappearance and reported it to police to search for him, ultimately locating him. Fortunately, he had not yet transferred the 50,000 baht to the scammers.
A friend of Mr. A said they usually went everywhere together since Mr. A did not have a vehicle and borrowed the friend's car to buy groceries or go to classes. But recently, Mr. A left the rented house alone and could not be contacted. At first, the friend thought nothing of it, assuming he was practicing basketball as usual. When he still did not return home the next morning, they became concerned and contacted the faculty to inform relatives and file a police report to search for him.
He expressed gratitude to the authorities for safely locating his friend and advised the public to stay calm and be cautious when receiving calls alleging various offenses, as these are likely call center scams.