Bangkok: "Chai???" has uncovered a sophisticated scam where fraudsters impersonated teachers to deceive parents, resulting in financial losses amounting to 2.6 million baht. He is calling on the government to expedite efforts to dismantle call center gangs.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Chaichana Dechdecho, a Member of Parliament from the Democrat Party and an advisor to the House of Representatives' Police Committee, reported receiving a complaint from parents of a first-year student at Bangkok University. The student fell victim to a call center scam, losing around 2.6 million baht. The incident involved two victims, with one being a female first-year student tricked by scammers who claimed her bank account was linked to criminal activities, including drug trafficking, and that she had an arrest warrant. This instilled fear in the victim, leading her to believe the fraudsters.

The gang coerced the student into further fraudulent activities by altering their LINE accounts to mimic a professor's identity, deceiving her parents into believing she had been awarded a scholarship for overseas studies. They claimed funds were needed for security and visa purposes, even impersonating a consular official to gain credibility. This led the parents to transfer money, incurring damages of approximately 2.6 million baht.

Mr. Chaichana highlighted that this case demonstrates the evolving nature of call center scams, which have grown more sophisticated by manipulating victims to deceive their own families, making it easier for parents to fall for the scam.

He also raised concerns about how the students' personal information was acquired by the call center gangs and questioned the effectiveness of the government's communication efforts in informing the public, especially youth and students, about new forms of fraud.

The most alarming aspect of the incident was that the fraudsters did not solely rely on bank transfers for payment collection. They instructed victims to withdraw cash, which they collected directly from the student's condominium. This involved two separate withdrawals amounting to millions of baht.

"This incident highlights that despite Thailand's enforcement of laws against call center gangs, these criminals remain undeterred, even boldly collecting cash directly from victims' residences," Mr. Chaichana stated.

He urged the Prime Minister and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) to accelerate the crackdown on these criminal networks and to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted, including efforts to recover the victims' money.

The parents, according to the Thai News Agency, mentioned that they had to borrow money from friends and colleagues, believing their daughter had secured a scholarship to study in Germany and required funds for visa purposes. They complied with the monetary requests, unaware they were being scammed.