Tragic Phone Scam in Yasothon: How Fraudsters Stole 2.4 Million Baht from Nanta and Sanchai’s Life Savings

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The tranquil town of Yasothon recently found itself at the epicenter of a heart-wrenching tale that sent shockwaves through the community. A phone scam, perpetrated by wily fraudsters, managed to strip a 68-year-old woman named Nanta and a 75-year-old man named Sanchai of their life savings to the tune of 2.4 million baht. This cunning ruse not only cost them financially but also left an indelible mark on their sense of trust and security.

It all began in late January, when Nanta received a seemingly innocuous call from an unfamiliar number. The voice on the other end claimed to represent Krungthai Bank and alleged that her name had been used nefariously to open a bank account tied to illegal activities. The caller’s advice was straightforward: Nanta needed to report the matter to the police immediately. However, with the police station located in Mueang Ubon Ratchathani and Nanta grappling with transportation issues, an in-person visit seemed daunting.

Providently, the caller offered a contact number purportedly belonging to the police, assuring Nanta that an officer awaited her call. Driven by a desire to set things right, Nanta dialed the number and was greeted by a man posing as a police officer. This individual even went so far as to transfer her to an imposter superintendent, who further cemented his deceit by video-calling her while donning a police uniform. Convinced by the imagery of authority, Nanta unwittingly stepped into the scammers’ web.

The faux officer spun an elaborate yarn, painting a grim picture of her supposed involvement in a 14 million baht money laundering operation. According to him, Nanta’s bank account had been sold to a notorious call centre gang for 50,000 baht. As the story grew more alarming, Nanta was urged to ‘safeguard’ her assets by surrendering them for a so-called inspection. If she failed to comply, the scammers warned, her assets would be seized, which could jeopardize her children’s government jobs.

In a state of panic, Nanta complied with these demands. The caller orchestrated a robbery in broad daylight, albeit digitally, coaxing her to display her entire trove of wealth over a video call. This included 90,000 baht in cash and several bahts of gold jewelry. Heeding the nefarious advice, she sold or pawned her gold, depositing all proceeds into a series of accounts as instructed.

The harrowing ordeal continued, as Nanta transferred chunks of her hard-earned money, each installment exceeding 400,000 baht, all under the watchful video surveillance of the fraudster. Constant threats loomed over her, forbidding disclosure of the situation to anyone, including her family. Her isolation was so profound that she even borrowed an additional 100,000 baht from a neighbor to meet yet another demand.

The turning point arrived on February 21, when the caller brazenly requested contact with Nanta’s son. That afternoon, her son returned home with alarming news. The call centre gang had contacted him, mockingly taunting about his mother’s plight and implying a neglect of his own. They punctuated their taunts by sending images of Nanta’s cash and gold, starkly revealing the depth of their duplicity.

Realization hit like a bolt of lightning; they had been ruthlessly scammed. Nanta, alongside her 75-year-old companion Sanchai, reached out to local media, pleading for the police to expedite their efforts in recovering the lost funds. As reported by KhaoSod, their heart-breaking appeal underscores a vital lesson in the era of digital communication: trust is precious, and deceit is often well-disguised in a cloak of authority and urgency.