Woman busted in B10m plane ticket scam

Woman busted in B10m plane ticket scam

Fraud suspect Nattanidcha Udomwatthinchote, 37, covers her face in a cap and sunglasses as she is taken to CSD headquarters for a news briefing on Wednesday.
Fraud suspect Nattanidcha Udomwatthinchote, 37, covers her face in a cap and sunglasses as she is taken to CSD headquarters for a news briefing on Wednesday.

A 37-year-old vendor has been arrested for allegedly swindling dozens of people out of 10 million baht by offering cheap plane tickets for Thai Airways International flights.

Police apprehended Nattanidcha Udomwatthinchote on fraud charges at CentralFestival shopping complex in Chiang Mai’s Muang district on Tuesday evening. The Chon Buri native was taken to the Crime Suppression Division for a news briefing on Wednesday. 

Acting CSD commander Charn Wimolsri said Ms Nattanidcha’s victims filed a joint complaint with the Consumer Protection Police Division last month seeking her arrest and return of their money.

The group said the suspect made a bogus claim on her Facebook page and other websites that she was an employee at THAI, had a relative who was an executive of the national flag carrier, and could provide customers with THAI tickets at almost 50% lower than normal prices.

Ms Nattanidcha said the quota for the discount airfares was limited and urged interested persons to quickly contact her to reserve tickets and transfer money into her bank account. The buyers would not get the tickets until their departure dates were imminent.

The victims could not contact Ms Nattanidcha after they made payments. 

The suspect had made 12 fraudulent sales on the internet since early this year, causing an estimated loss of more than 10 million baht, Pol Maj Gen Charn said.   

Ms Nattanidcha told police she committed the crime alone and had returned the money to some of the victims. She said she spent part of the illegally-gained money on buying flight tickets so that she could continue the scam.

Ms Nattanidcha was a former convict who had been convicted in four cases of embezzlement and fraud, Pol Maj Gen Charn added.


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