Pattaya: Pattaya police rescued an 18-year-old man who had been tricked into opening a fake bank account by a group of Chinese nationals and a Thai woman. The victim, however, became suspicious and reported the scam, subsequently having the account frozen. The perpetrators then dragged him to a condominium and threatened his family.
According to Thai News Agency, CCTV footage from beneath a condominium captured two perpetrators, one man and one woman, struggling with and chasing a young male victim. The victim managed to escape and seek help from condominium staff.
Following the incident at 10:46 PM, police from Pattaya City Police Station and Tourist Police investigated the event at a condominium on Pattaya Third Road, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. They initially rescued an 18-year-old who was being assaulted and unlawfully detained by Chinese nationals. After questioning the victim, they learned that the perpetrators were inside a room in the condominium. They then apprehended two Chinese nationals and one Thai woman, and brought them to Pattaya City Police Station for further questioning.
Initially, the 18-year-old victim, Mr. Bas, claimed that he wanted to earn money and found an advertisement on social media offering to open e-wallet accounts for buying and selling goods through online shopping apps, with a payment of 1,500 baht per account. When he met the advertiser, he found a group of Chinese men and a Thai woman who threatened and coerced him into providing two additional bank accounts. Fearing for his family's safety, as the perpetrators knew his address, he handed over his national ID card and phone with banking apps. He later noticed suspicious activity in his accounts, with unusual deposits beyond the agreed-upon e-wallet accounts, so he called to freeze both bank accounts. When the perpetrators were unable to withdraw money, they tracked him down for two days. In the evening, two Chinese men and one Thai woman contacted him, saying they would return his phone and ID card if they could withdraw the money. Wanting to end the matter, he agreed to meet them. However, they attempted to drag him into their room to assault him and threatened his family. Fortunately, a condo staff member witnessed the incident, intervened, and contacted the police, who arrested all three perpetrators.