"Chaiyachana" urges a crackdown on call center gangs after a first-year student was scammed out of 2.6 million baht. He revealed a new tactic where criminals impersonate professors to deceive parents, even driving to pick up cash outside the condominium.
On 17 Aug 2026 GMT+7, Chaiyachana Dejadecho, a party-list MP from the Democrat Party and member of the Parliamentary Police Commission, revealed he received complaints from parents of a first-year Bangkok University student victimized by a call center gang. The gang scammed approximately 2.6 million baht. The incident occurred on 16 Aug 2026 GMT+7, with two victims filing reports. One was a female first-year student who was contacted by the gang using a familiar tactic: claiming she had a bank account linked to drug offenses, legal charges, and an arrest warrant. They intimidated her into compliance. The gang then forced her to deceive her parents by altering their LINE account to impersonate a professor, falsely claiming their daughter had won a scholarship to study abroad. They said money was needed for visa guarantees and processing, even impersonating a consul to build credibility, which convinced the parents to transfer about 2.6 million baht.
"This case reflects the evolving sophistication of call center scams. Instead of directly deceiving victims, they now coerce victims to trick their own family members, making parents more trusting and willing to send money. There are key issues to investigate, including how the student's personal data leaked to the gang and whether government efforts to publicize call center crackdowns and new scam methods effectively reach the public, youth, and students. Most shocking is the payment method: instead of only bank transfers, victims were ordered to withdraw cash, which the criminals then personally collected twice at the student's condominium, totaling millions in cash. This shows that despite Thailand enforcing laws against call center gangs, the criminals remain unafraid, even coming directly to victims' residences to collect large sums," Chaiyachana said.
Chaiyachana added he urged the Prime Minister and the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) to seriously intensify efforts to suppress these gangs. He requested thorough follow-up on this case and to recover as much of the victims' money as possible. According to the parents, the victims' families had to borrow money from friends and colleagues, believing their daughter had received a scholarship to study in Germany and needed funds for visa processing and financial proof, which led them to comply with the scam.