In a shocking twist of events, a 66-year-old retiree from government service found himself entangled in a trap laid by an impostor posing as renowned TV news anchor Orakarn Jivakiet. The unsuspecting retiree fell prey to the scammer’s sophisticated scheme, causing him to lose a staggering 20 million baht over a span of just two months, in the name of investing in the enigmatic world of cryptocurrencies.
This grievous incident was brought to light when the retiree, along with the actual news anchor Orakarn, lodged a complaint at the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) on a breezy Monday afternoon.
As per the briefing provided by the CCIB commander Pol Maj Gen Chatpanthakan Khlaikhlueng, the retiree reported that the first point of contact with the fraudster was through Facebook. Apparently, the scammer was using an ID falsely identifying as Orakarn “Kwang” Jivakiet, a highly reputable TV news anchor.
Once the scammer had successfully established the initial communication, he drew the retiree further into the web of deception by suggesting to switch their conversations over to the LINE application, an online messaging platform.
The scammer, in the guise of Orakarn, proceeded to engage the retiree in amiable chats, gradually growing closer with each exchange. After taking their time to build a considerable level of trust, the scammer unveiled the masterstroke of the plot – an invitation to invest in “cryptocurrencies”.
Caught in the well-spun trap, the retiree transferred close to 20 million baht, split across 33 different transactions and involving around 10 bank accounts. It was not until he found himself unable to withdraw an amount of 10,000 baht, supposedly the returns from the investment, that the retiree came to the grasp the unsavory truth. He had been swindled, and he lost everything he invested in the course of just two months.
The news anchor Orakarn Jivakiet expressed her shock and disbelief upon learning that her identity was used to orchestrate the malign scam. She asserted that she does not even use Facebook, adding a further layer of intrigue and mystery about the unscrupulous operations of the scammer.
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