Police have dismantled a scam network that lured victims into clicking 'Like' on YouTube using fake handsome Line profiles, resulting in over 1.5 million baht in losses.
The investigation began after scammers used a LINE account named "Tor (Nattapoom)" with a profile picture of a good-looking young man to add and contact victims unknowingly, Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, said at a press conference on Thursday.
The scammers then engaged in conversations, gradually building trust and eventually persuaded victims to invest in a side-income scheme by depositing funds into the platform and earning profits through liking YouTube videos.
Victims initially received payouts, leading them to trust the scheme. They subsequently made numerous financial transactions totalling 1,546,836 baht but later found they could not withdraw their funds and realised they had been scammed, said Pol Lt Gen Trairong.
Further police investigation led to the arrest of Saranya Kaewmuen, a 33-year-old resident of Songkhla, who was part of the scam network. Evidence was gathered to obtain an arrest warrant from the Criminal Court, leading to her capture in Chon Buri province.
During questioning, Ms Saranya admitted to opening bank accounts for sale to brokers, receiving 2,000 baht per account.
The woman was charged with fraud and computer-related offences, including inputting false or misleading information into a computer system that could harm the public.