(Bangkok, 16th) — Two Thai first-year university students fell victim to a scam syndicate, were lured to check into a resort and pretend to be kidnapped to defraud ransom money from their parents, resulting in a loss of a total of 900,000 baht. The police rescued the two in time.
Patthanachai, chief of Pathum Thani’s Khlong Luang police station, stated that the two first-year students from Rangsit University received scam phone calls on Tuesday night. The scammers falsely claimed that they had won study-abroad scholarships and sent forged official documents with the Thai national emblem and signatures of university executives to gain their trust.
The scam group then instructed the students to leave their dormitories and meet at a local resort, falsely claiming that applying for a visa required a certain bank balance. They were told to ask their parents for money transfers, and strictly forbidden to share any details with anyone.
According to local media reports, the scammers kept changing their stories, even impersonating police officers and threatening the students with serious criminal charges to further exert control.
After the two students lost contact, the university immediately alerted the police. Officers quickly tracked their whereabouts and confirmed their location on Wednesday morning, successfully rescuing them.
Police investigations found that one of the students was forced to keep a video call on at all times, allowing the scammers to monitor their actions in real-time and prevent outside contact.
The other student was instructed to tie a towel around their ankles, take photos and send them to their parents, faking a kidnapping scene to pressure the family into continuing to send money.
Investigations revealed that the two students each transferred about 450,000 baht to mule accounts controlled by the syndicate, bringing the total loss to 900,000 baht.
Police are currently tracing the flow of funds, gathering evidence, and making every effort to hunt down those involved in the scam syndicate.
The scam group then instructed the students to leave their dormitories and meet at a local resort, falsely claiming that applying for a visa required a certain bank balance. They were told to ask their parents for money transfers, and strictly forbidden to share any details with anyone.
According to local media reports, the scammers kept changing their stories, even impersonating police officers and threatening the students with serious criminal charges to further exert control.
After the two students lost contact, the university immediately alerted the police. Officers quickly tracked their whereabouts and confirmed their location on Wednesday morning, successfully rescuing them.
Police investigations found that one of the students was forced to keep a video call on at all times, allowing the scammers to monitor their actions in real-time and prevent outside contact.
The other student was instructed to tie a towel around their ankles, take photos and send them to their parents, faking a kidnapping scene to pressure the family into continuing to send money.
Investigations revealed that the two students each transferred about 450,000 baht to mule accounts controlled by the syndicate, bringing the total loss to 900,000 baht.
Police are currently tracing the flow of funds, gathering evidence, and making every effort to hunt down those involved in the scam syndicate.