UTHAI THANI, THAILAND — A Malaysian man, Cherway Lock, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding a 70-year-old retired teacher from Uthai Thani of more than 22 million baht (S$881,980) in an elaborate phone scam.
The victim, identified as Kanjana, received what seemed like a routine phone call that quickly spiraled into a devastating ordeal. The caller, posing as a hospital employee from Chiang Mai, claimed that her personal information had been linked to an international money-laundering case.
Terrified, Kanjana was then contacted by another scammer pretending to be a police officer, who persuaded her to continue the conversation via the LINE messaging app. The fraudsters convinced her that she needed to transfer money to prove her innocence.
Having recently sold a piece of land by the Sakae Krang River, Kanjana had a large sum of money in her account — which quickly became the scammers’ target. Between September 30 and October 27, she made 12 transfers, including one worth 17 million baht. On several occasions, the scammers even visited her home to collect bags of cash.
When Kanjana realized she had been deceived, she immediately reported the case to police. Authorities managed to freeze several related accounts and conducted a sting operation that led to Cherway Lock’s arrest when he returned to collect more money.
Pol. Col. Phakin Wannasri, Superintendent of Mueang Uthai Thani Police Station, confirmed the arrest and said investigations are ongoing to locate other members of the network.
He also warned the public to remain vigilant and avoid engaging with unsolicited calls from individuals claiming to be officials or law enforcement officers.
