Cops bust four over OTP scam

Cops bust four over OTP scam

Four people, including a Taiwanese national, have been arrested for their involvement in a mobile banking scam which caused financial damages of about 400,000 baht, according to Provincial Police Region 5.

The suspects were identified as Thai citizens Paochang sae Lu, Warawut Pameu and Pornsawan Praisihiew, and Taiwanese national Yu Chao Wei, who allegedly had links to a call centre in Cambodia.

Their arrest followed an investigation by the Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) that began last year, after authorities received complaints about suspicious SMS messages which appeared to have been sent by a commercial bank to several of its mobile banking customers.

The messages asked the victims for their 13-digit ID number and a one-time password (OTP) sent by the bank. The scammers would then use the information to access the victims' account on a different device and transfer their money to their accounts.

According to Provincial Police Region 5, a total of 21 people lodged complaints with the police in several provinces, with losses estimated at about 400,000 baht.

Police arrested Mr Warawut and Mr Pornsawan after finding out they had withdrawn some of the cash that was siphoned, and the pair implicated Mr Yu and Mr Paochang, naming them as the gang's leaders.

After collecting enough evidence and obtaining arrest warrants for Mr Yu and Mr Paochang on Jan 8, authorities moved in to take the suspects into custody. The pair were found in Mae Hong Son's Pai district, police said.

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