Exposed: Engineer Loses Millions to DSI Impersonation Scam
Researcher with Doctorate Degree Suffers Multi-Million Dollar Loss to Fraudsters Posing as DSI Officials
In a chilling expose, a 32-year-old engineer finds himself out of 8 million baht following a scam perpetrated by a call center gang posing as Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officials. The unfortunate victim, known only as Siwat, has reached out to social media activist, Ekkapop Luangprasert, for help.
Siwat's heart-wrenching tale, shared on the Sai Mai Tong Rod (Survive) Facebook page, swiftly sparked public outrage.
The engineer confesses that he was caught off guard when he received an ominous call on April 5, claiming to be from the DSI. The caller suspected him of involvement in money laundering activities for a high-profile former politician, who had earlier been arrested.
Terrified by the implications, Siwat was instructed to add the caller on the Line chat app for further discussions. This marked the beginning of a daunting seven-day ordeal, marked by continuous calls and intimidation. Over this harrowing period, Siwat was manipulated into transferring 8.46 million baht from five bank accounts to the scamsters, under the guise of "examining the money trail."
The scammers didn't rest here. They demanded Siwat to travel to Hat Yai district in Songkhla province to convert savings certificates into money transfers for them. Fortunately, the call remained on hold throughout the journey, save for the flight. It was only when he confided in his father that he realized the gravity of his situation.
This incident caught Siwat off-guard, as he had lived abroad for nine years and never encountered such a scam. His recent return to Thailand seems to have made him a soft target for these sneaky scammers. Despite his previous encounters with scammers, the novel approach of involving documents had left him susceptible to their deceit.
The engineer narrowly escaped losing his valuable condominium worth approximately 7 million baht. The cunning scammers attempted to mortgage the title deed, but the plan backfired.
Despite reaching out to banks and authorities for help, Siwat has yet to recover his losses. Ekkapop, the courageous social media activist, is working hand-in-hand with cybercrime police to track down the scamsters and bring them to justice.
In an impassioned call to action, Ekkapop urges the government to take drastic measures to combat the growing scourge of cybercrime in Thailand.
Insights:
- Call center scams are a significant problem in Thailand and Southeast Asia, with scammers often pretending to be authorities to deceive victims.
- Cybercrime incidents are on the rise in Southeast Asia, with scammers employing tactics like phishing and investment fraud.
- Recovering lost funds from such scams can be a challenge, but reporting the incident to authorities, contacting banks, seeking legal advice, and being cautious are recommended steps.
- Preventing such scams requires vigilance when receiving calls from authorities and verifying identities through official channels before acting on any information. Digital forensics plays a crucial role in investigating these scams.
- In the wake of an impersonation scam by a call center gang posing as DSI officials, Ekkapop Luangprasert, a social media activist, is collaborating with cybercrime police to confiscate the ill-gotten savings of the alleged scammers from the crime-and-justice general-news.
- The unfortunate victim, Siwat, has faced the confiscation of his life savings worth 8.46 million baht, in addition to losing 8 million baht to the scam, as the scammers attempted to mortgage his condominium title deed that is valued at approximately 7 million baht.
- To prevent becoming a victim of similar scams, it is essential to exercise caution when receiving calls from authorities, verify identities through official channels, and seek legal advice if unsure, as digital forensics play a crucial role in investigating these scams.
