Donations siphoned off

News > Crimes

The deluge is no deterrent to the callousness and creativity of criminals

Published: 7/11/2011 at 08:16 AM
Newspaper section: News

Police are hunting a criminal gang which rigged the telephones of a flood donation centre and redirected money meant for flood victims to a private bank account.

The theft _ involving an unknown amount of money _ was uncovered after a private firm, Workpoint Entertainment Co, filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division.

Workpoint had discovered money promised to the centre had not been recorded in its bank accounts and suspected its phone lines had been tapped.

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About the author

: Writer: Wassayos Ngamkham; Position: Reporter

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smiles999
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Discussion 15 : 07/11/2011 at 05:18 PM15
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Hi, this is laughable -- if a house owner goes to his own house during night, he will be mistaken as a thief !! Do not the police know simple inquiry/questioning techniques -- if they do not, better not patrol, as it will not be of any use, as the thieves will out-smart them, and the innocent will be harassed. Better the communities to take hourly turns to watch over their properties.
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termsak
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Discussion 14 : 07/11/2011 at 03:02 PM14
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Well, not as bad as taking credit for public donated money and aid packages like Mr. Fugitive Thaksin.

That's daylight stealing and show how arrogant this megalomaniac is. At least the thieves tries to hide it. Thaksin want to show the Thai people that he can cheat however and whoever he wants right in front of our faces!
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koolbreez
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Discussion 13 : 07/11/2011 at 02:51 PM13
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There was a simple solution to the looting, but it was not taken by the government in the beginning, and now it is too late.

If the government would have decared a state of emergency when they should have in the beginning those flooded areas could have been declared restricted zones, and put under complete military control, with anyone entering the area in violation, and facing being shot.

It is very easy to close off whole areas as should have been done, but as is being shown very difficult to patrol those areas if movement into, and out of them isn't restricted.

Now that everything has been looted the police are finally forming patrols? Who are the looters working for, and why so long before patroling started? This is typical though, now that the barn has burned down it is time to close the door.
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cale_oosha
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Discussion 12 : 07/11/2011 at 01:40 PM12
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This truly confirms The universality of The Ferengy Rules of Aquisition from the Star Trek Universe.
These low life Gangsters and phone tapping artists must be acting to Rule #144 "There's nothing wrong with Charity....as long as it winds up in your pockets"
And for some people who are wise and adjust to their situations to make a few hundred Bahts more during the worst of times. Than Rule number 162 is applied "Even iin the worst of times someone's turns a Profit..
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macmundi
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Discussion 11 : 07/11/2011 at 12:27 PM11
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SAM Media Ltd. is also trapping public unawareness money through internet.
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poohbear

Discussion 10 : 07/11/2011 at 12:11 PM10
What's new ? Who is stealing this time - obviously an insider job .......
from iPhone application.
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prh
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Discussion 9 : 07/11/2011 at 09:59 AM9
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'The deluge is no deterrent to the callousness and creativity of criminals.'

Great headline but the siphoning of funds happens everyday. The politicians do it, the police do it, the public servants do it, the military do it - in fact it is as common as going to the bathroom.
Probably an inside job and a follow up of how much money did actually go into the right account would be nice to know.
The cops should be able to find which account the CP & Workpoint Entertainment money went into very quickly & make an arrest within the day. Joking - it will take the cops 3 months & then they will come to a dead end - guaranteed.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 8 : 07/11/2011 at 09:25 AM8
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With so many actives thieves around it should be easy for the police to arrest at least some of them? How many looters did the police arrest already?
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 7 : 07/11/2011 at 09:19 AM7
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It’s not new in Thailand (and probably lots of other countries) that donations often don’t reach the people in need. If we still want to donate money or goods we should do it to people we trust or organizations which work transparent. Yesterday I read in TN about the “Open Care Foundation”. This organization publishes all the donations details and how they are spent on the Internet. I added their account to my online banking account, verified their name, and made a donation. I still won’t be able to verify if they work correct, but a donation to such an organization is a lot more likely to reach the people in need compared to some cash in a cardboard box or a donation over the phone.
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lazar
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Discussion 6 : 07/11/2011 at 08:03 AM6
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So it's that simple to tap phones here? Any common thief knows how to do it.
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