A 74-year-old Thai farmer has lost 3.2 million baht, his entire life’s savings, to a call center scam. The victim, Mr. Thongchai Boonko, filed a complaint at the Nongprue Police Station in Chonburi province on Thursday, June 20th. He reported receiving a phone call from a man claiming to be a government officer.
The incident occurred on June 12th, 2024. The caller pretended to be an officer from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and falsely accused Mr. Thongchai of being involved in money laundering. He demanded that Mr. Thongchai transfer money to their account for inspection. Using a fake profile picture of a police officer, the scammer threatened Mr. Thongchai via the Line application, warning that his bank account would be frozen if he did not comply.
In a state of panic, Mr. Thongchai withdrew his entire life savings of 3.2 million baht and transferred the funds to the scammer’s account. After realizing he had been scammed, Mr. Thongchai sought help from his family and filed a police report at the Nongprue Police Station. During the reporting process, the scammer even attempted to contact him again, demanding the remaining funds in his account.
Mr. Thongchai expressed deep regret for falling victim to the scam, stating that the lost money was the result of his hard work as a farmer throughout his entire life.
