Online Kidnapping Scam Emerges in Thailand, Student Victimized

A new type of scam, dubbed 'online kidnapping,' has been identified in Thailand, prompting warnings for the public. In this scheme, perpetrators first contact victims and extort money. In the reported case, a female university student was instructed by the scammers to sell gold worth approximately 130,000 baht (equivalent to about 500,000 Japanese yen) and transfer the proceeds to the criminals. However, the scam did not end there. After the money transfer, the perpetrators impersonated the victim's mother, creating a false narrative that the student was being held captive and demanding further ransom. This modus operandi appears to combine elements of traditional phone scams with the threat of abduction, aiming to increase psychological pressure on the victim and more effectively extract money. Thai police are concerned about the potential spread of similar incidents and are urging the public, especially young people, to be extremely cautious and never comply with suspicious calls or messages. Information source: MGR Online (Regional)