PUBLISHED : 29 Aug 2023 at 11:30
A 66-year-old government retiree has told police he lost about 20 million baht in just two months to a bogus woman news anchor who lured him online into investing in “cryptocurrencies”.
The man and the real TV news anchor filed their complaint with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau on Monday.
CCIB commander Pol Maj Gen Chatpanthakan Khlaikhlueng said the man told investigators he was contacted by a person who used a Facebook ID claiming to be TV news anchor Orakan Jivakiet.
The following day, the scammer asked him to continue their chats using the LINE app instead.
The scammer chatted him up, becoming close to him, and then invited him to invest in “cryptocurrencies”.
The victim transferred nearly 20 million baht to the scammer in 33 transactions from about 10 bank accounts. He only later realised he had been fooled when he could not withdraw 10,000 baht supposedly returned from the investment.
The victim told police he lost the entire sum he invested, in only two months.
Ms Orakan said she was shocked that her profile was forged for use by the scammer. She also said that she did not use Facebook.