A significant arrest was made by the Metropolitan Police Bureau 3 after they detained a 28-year-old woman, Phannipa Phienamkot, for her involvement in a mule account scam. Known as Nong Paeng, Phannipa acknowledged that she expected her capture, as multiple arrest warrants had been issued for her, with one prominently displayed at her home. She was apprehended at 5 p.m. on May 8, 2025, in a shopping center car park located on Srinakarin Road, Prawet district, Bangkok.
The arrest is part of an ongoing investigation into a group of fraudsters involved in online scams, which have caused significant harm to the public. The scams, often linked to mule accounts, have become a top priority for police across various stations.
In these fraudulent schemes, individuals are tricked into opening bank accounts in their names and providing access details to scammers in exchange for a share of the profits or monetary compensation. The scammers then use these accounts for illegal transactions. To aid in cracking down on such scams, the Bank of Thailand has categorized mule accounts into several color-coded risk levels: black for accounts identified by the Anti-Money Laundering Office, dark grey for those reported by victims, light grey for unreported accounts, dark brown for those suspected by financial institutions, and light brown for those under suspicion.
In this particular case, many victims had already lodged complaints, allowing the police to gather the necessary evidence and secure three arrest warrants. Phannipa, who worked at a shopping mall in the Srinakarin area, was apprehended following these investigations.
