PUBLISHED: 15 Dec 2024 at 15: 47
A 40-year-old girl was detained in Chaiyaphum state on suspicion of defrauding Thai-British beauty queen Charlotte Austin of$ 4 million by opening a pony bank account for a scam group operating out of Cambodia.
Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phewphan, acting director of the , Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, said on Sunday that the person suspect, identified just as Parichat, was arrested at a home in the northern province of Chaiyaphum on Saturday.
The girl and her father had been illegally brought into Cambodia from Sa Kaeo state a few days before the charm monarch was deceived, according to the acting director.
On Thai land, the person think was brought to a tower where a Chinese-led rip-off group operated. She was hired for 3,500 ringgit to opened a bank account for the group. In order to open the account, the suspect had her mouth scanned inside the tower.
The suspect claimed to have spoken to about 20 Thai citizens in the tower, which also contained fake Thai authorities ‘ pretending to be scammers.
According to Pol Lt. Gen. Trairong, Ms. Austin’s money was transferred to Ms. Parichat’s accounts, converted into digital wealth, and forwarded to a Chinese suspect’s account. An investigation into the situation was continuing, he said.
A person claiming to be a Department of Special Investigation established called on December 7 and Ms. Austin claimed to have received the call last Tuesday.
He informed her that she was suspected of laundering cash in a Stark Corporation scandal-hit event. The visitor ordered her to move 4 million ringgit so that “authorities” was check whether she was innocent.
The 25-year-old 5th runner-up of Miss Grand Thailand in 2022 followed the instructions. She made three payments worth a total of 4 million baht, but she never received her money up as promised.