CHAI NAT, Thailand — An 18-year-old student nicknamed Ikkyu narrowly avoided losing 50,000 baht in a call centre scam yesterday, January 12, thanks to quick thinking and timely assistance from his parents and police.
Ikkyu received a morning call from someone claiming to be a mobile network manager, accusing him of involvement in an 8 million baht money laundering case. The scammer sent photos purporting to show official documents and police officers to appear credible.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Ikkyu remained on the call while the scammer insisted he transfer nearly 50,000 baht to “verify” his innocence. Suspecting something was wrong, he sent the money to his mother instead and quietly messaged his father for help.
His father contacted officers at Mueang Chai Nat Police Station, who intercepted Ikkyu at the bank before any transaction was completed. Police then instructed him to stay on the call to gather intelligence.
During the call, the scammer requested Ikkyu show his surroundings via camera. Instead, he went to the bathroom, pretended to be distressed, and persuaded the scammer to reveal their bank account number. He immediately handed the details to authorities.
Ikkyu’s mother noted that her son’s personal information may have been leaked through recent university application submissions. Realizing the situation was a scam, she tried confronting the caller online, but the individual responded aggressively and ended contact.
Ikkyu told police he never fully believed the scam but played along to collect evidence. Officers are now investigating the provided account and will pursue legal action against the perpetrators, reported CH7 News.
In a related incident, Bangkok police recently arrested three call centre scammers at a luxury hotel in Chatuchak and seized 1,000 methamphetamine tablets.
