Beauty Queen Scammed, Suspect Arrested

BANGKOK, Dec 16 (TNA) - The police arrested a suspect in connection with a “fake cop” scam that targeted Charlotte Austin, a top-five finalist in the Miss Grand Thailand 2022 pageant. The scammers successfully defrauded her of 4 million baht. 

Pol. Lt. Gen.Trairong Phewphan, acting commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, revealed that authorities have apprehended the account holder who received the fraudulent transfer from Charlotte. 

The suspect arrested in Chaiyaphum province on Saturday confessed to opening the mule bank account, linked to a Chinese -led scam gang. 

She has a history of travel to Cambodia prior to the scam and she was taken to a building equipped with simulated police offices. 

From these offices, they would conduct video calls impersonating Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers to deceive victims. Once a victim fell for the scam, the account holders would scan their faces using the registered bank account and receive a cash reward before being returned to Thailand.

On Dec 7, Charlotte received a phone call from an individual claiming to be a DSI official. The caller falsely accused her of money laundering linked to a high profile fraud case.

To clear her name, Charlotte was instructed to transfer a substantial sum of 4 million baht to "authorities" for investigation. Fearing legal repercussions, she complied with the demands, making three separate transfers totaling 4 million baht. Unfortunately, despite her cooperation, she never received her money back.

The police reiterated that law enforcement agencies have the legal authority to seize or impound assets linked to criminal activities without requiring the owner to transfer the assets. Therefore, if anyone receives a video call from a purported police officer or government official demanding a money transfer to prove their innocence, it is undoubtedly a scam.

The public is urged to report any suspicious activity to the Royal Thai Police hotline at 1599. -819 (TNA)