Con men target disaster victims

News > Crimes

Reaping benefit from other people's misery shows an ugly side to the disaster

Published: 21/11/2011 at 03:41 AM
Newspaper section: News

Flood victim Uthai Phuwanan says she lost all her savings after falling foul of unscrupulous phone scammers claiming to be offering relief aid from the Interior Ministry.

The con men contacted her by phone, saying they were conducting a flood damage survey.

Ms Uthai, 55, whose assets and house in Bang Kae were damaged by the flood, was fooled into transferring money to the scammers via an ATM.

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About the author

: Writer: Wassayos Ngamkham; Position: Reporter

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uberbraun
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Discussion 10 : 21/11/2011 at 04:26 PM10
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Ok, I don't get this scam. The victum is told to go to an atm, press a series of buttons and money gone. Right?

Well, unless atm's are capable of doing things I do not understand, the basic process would be:

- put atm card into machine and login to account.
- select TRANSFER to another account
- enter account number of scammer
- enter amount of money to transfer to scammer
- confirm transaction

So, I must ask, why did this not set off alarm bells at any one of those stages.

Personally, my alarm bells would have gone off when I was asked (told) to head to an atm machine.

There seems to be a total lack of ability to analyse the situitation and think critically. I know people are basically dumb as dirt, but you would really have to be dumber than dirt to fall for this.
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Just-1-Voice
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Discussion 9 : 21/11/2011 at 02:53 PM9
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Having a degree as a teacher, regardless of where you are from, doesn't make you "immune" from having a lack of common sense. And if this individual couldn't see, and understand, what was on the screen of the ATM machine, and realize what she was doing, then as far as I'm concerned - "som nom na!"
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 8 : 21/11/2011 at 01:10 PM8
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I am still surprised that there are people who have hundred thousands of THB in their bank account and who can’t follow what they do on an ATM with their own bank account. It’s not so difficult to read and understand the couple of buttons you have to press. It’s like giving someone a form and tell him/her: sign here, it’s good for you and you will receive lots of money. It’s a shame that these scam artists exists but sometimes I wonder if some of the scammed people deserve what they get.
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beretta
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Discussion 7 : 21/11/2011 at 12:32 PM7
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D1 & D4
just have to say one thing. If you don't like it there in Thailand go back home to your own countries and look also at your own countries education system.
For all you know these scammers are more likely to be from the US.
Having a good education doesn't make you a better person.
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Asian Hand
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Discussion 6 : 21/11/2011 at 09:17 AM6
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D1 and D4: so with both your analogies I guess we can assume that the education system in each of your countries is the same otherwise guys like Bernie Madoff, Costrain (head of MS Global), Dennis Kozloski (Tyco), the Enron and World Com gangs, the list is endless in the "developed" world - would not exist. Rip off, con artists and cybercrime types are much more alive and well, and more successful than in Thailand. Did both of you get your education in good ole America?
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franklin
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Discussion 5 : 21/11/2011 at 08:38 AM5
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Sounds like a politician to me !
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Kanadian
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Discussion 4 : 21/11/2011 at 08:12 AM4
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bkposter - you are so correct.
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hinghoi
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Discussion 3 : 21/11/2011 at 08:08 AM3
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Yes it is very sad that people are allways trying to rip off other when they are down... I guess we need to get more educated on scammers like the West has done by educated it people, thus solving the problem with the gready low life ripoffs...., Thanks for your thoughtfull advice.
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drsmith
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Discussion 2 : 21/11/2011 at 07:22 AM2
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Sooner or later Thailand will wake up to the fact that money is EVERYTHING in Thailand and that getting money illegally is no exception. The politicians and powers-to-be set a poor example of greed, graft and corruption which is flowing down into the criminal elements trying to get their share. Self-sufficientcy is a forgotten policy as greed is a cancer striking at the very heart of Thailand.
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bkposter
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Discussion 1 : 21/11/2011 at 07:06 AM1
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If she is a teacher, that might explain some of the problems in the education system in this country.
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Con men target disaster victims | Bangkok Post: news