Sixty women in several villages of this southern province have complained with local police that their Facebook accounts were hacked and their pictures were posted with claims that they were selling sex.
The women filed complaints at the Chai Buri police station in Chai Buri district on Saturday and Sunday. Some of them were from Ban Yuan Pla Moo 3 and Moo 8 villages in tambon Chai Buri.
Station chief Pol Col Thongchana Hankittikanchana said he sought interrogators from the Surat Thani provincial police office to help his subordinates question all the women, as detectives from his station and the provincial police office were hunting for a culprit.
Police had already identified a suspect and were gathering evidence to prepare for technology crime prosecution, he said.
The complainants were about 18-40 years old. Younger villagers told them that their photos were posted with personal messages offering sex services in sex-oriented chat groups.
Among the complainants, Rabiab Muadsee, 43, said some local teenagers alerted her to the abuse and showed her pictures of women. She recognised about 30 women from her village.
She said she received messages seeking sexual services and asking her to share pictures of her private parts. Someone even tried to make appointments with her. She said she was too afraid to collect rubber from trees at night because of concerns for her safety.
A woman who identified herself only as Lek said her Facebook account was hacked and a message sent from her account to other accounts offering sexual services for money. That greatly embarrassed her.
Her picture was later sent to Twitter accounts with similar messages, she said.
Chai Buri district chief Sukit Meepring said he ordered subordinates and volunteers to stand guard in the women’s villages to ensure their safety.
