A Thai national living in the United States was recently lured into an elaborate phone scam after receiving a call from fraudsters posing as embassy staff and police officers, who falsely accused her of being linked to an international money laundering case.
Wannapa Suprasert, known as Bow, said the ordeal began when she received a call from a woman claiming to be from the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. The caller alleged that her recently renewed passport had been misused, putting her at risk of identity theft.
The call was then transferred to a man who introduced himself as an officer from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok. He demanded personal identification documents, bank details, and financial records, claiming these were necessary for an investigation.
“They made a threat that they would be tapping my phone. The mind is very powerful because once you’re in that delusion, I guess I couldn’t think clearly and I was just very concerned about my family safety,” Ms. Suprasert recalled.
The situation escalated when she was told she was the prime suspect in an international money laundering scheme. The alleged officer demanded that she prove her innocence by transferring funds from her bank account to theirs, with the assurance that the money would be returned after a “deeper investigation.”
“They promised to give it back. I didn’t quite understand because I thought I could just send them my pay stub and they could see I earned the money legally in the US,” she said.
Shaken but suspicious, Ms. Suprasert attempted to call the Thai Embassy directly to confirm the claim. However, as it was late Friday afternoon in San Francisco and the embassy on the East Coast had closed for the day, she was unable to verify the information immediately.
Only later did she realize that the scammers had deliberately timed their call to exploit the time zone gap and her inability to reach officials.
Authorities worldwide have repeatedly warned about such scams, in which fraudsters impersonate embassy or law enforcement officials to extort money. Victims are often told they are under investigation and face jail time unless they comply with demands.
Sophisticated sting
“I guess the story just kind of built from there and that’s how I ended up sending five wires totaling over $300,000,” she said.
Bow fell victim to a sophisticated operation which according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is being increasingly adopted by international organized crime networks to con the unsuspecting out of thousands of dollars.
UNODC said that the transnational organized crime groups in Asia which carry out these types of scams are expanding their operations deeper into the region and far beyond.
“We are seeing a global expansion of East and Southeast Asian organized crime groups,” said Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“This reflects both a natural expansion as the industry grows and seeks new ways and places to do business, but also a hedging strategy against future risks should disruption continue and intensify in the region,” he added.
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The three-month-long scam that Bow endured resulted not just in the loss of over $300,000 but also intense emotional despair which led to depression, sleepless nights and nightmares.
Bow has come to terms with the reality that she will not get her money back. There is nothing US law enforcement can do to recover the funds, and she decided against hiring a private investigator. In going public with her story, she hopes that others can learn from her experience.