University warns of rising 'exchange programme' scam targeting students

The 'exchange programme' scam has become a growing concern among parents in Thailand, with universities urging guardians to verify details carefully. The latest case involved a business administration student at Kasetsart University in Bangkok who lost 699,900 baht to scammers before being rescued from a hotel on Monday, according to a university statement issued on Thursday. University acting president Khongsak Thiangtum clarified that the student was not kidnapped from the campus. The student received a call from scammers posing as representatives of the mobile operator AIS, which was later transferred to another scammer claiming to be a police officer from the Muang Loei police station. The student was falsely told they had been implicated in a nationwide fraud network and was instructed to communicate via Telegram. The gang demanded 700,000 baht as proof of innocence. According to the university, the student was threatened and pressured into lying to their parents about being selected for an exchange programme. The parents said their child claimed to have received a scholarship to participate in a programme at New York University and requested money for a bank book guarantee. Trusting their child, they made three transactions—49,900 baht, 250,000 baht, and 400,000 baht—on Monday. After being alerted to the situation, the university determined that the claim was fraudulent and reported the matter to Phahon Yothin police, who launched a rescue operation. Investigators later located the student at a hotel in the area. The student was safely reunited with their parents and later provided information to investigators at the Phahon Yothin station. A similar scam was reported last week in Pathum Thani, where two Rangsit University students were rescued from a hotel after transferring a combined 900,000 baht to scammers. Police are continuing their investigation, and no arrests linked to the scheme have been reported so far.