After nearly 5,300 fraud cases were reported last week, the Royal Thai Police is urging the public to be on alert against online scammers during the Songkran holidays.
According to special advisor Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang, 5,269 cases were reported from April 2-8, with victims suffering total losses of 312.5 million baht. These cases included 2,600 cases of online shopping scams, 719 cases of job posting scams, 539 cases of loan fraud, 286 cases related to online investments, and 276 cases of call center scams.
The special advisor warned that online shopping scams have been on the rise as Songkran-related products such as shirts or water guns are used to scam victims of their money.
Lt Gen Sompong also advised the public to be wary of Ponzi schemes, in which scammers entice victims to make investments by promising huge returns, as well as lending scams in which criminals deceive consumers into paying collateral for nonexistent loans. He urged people to make sure the other party is verified before making investments or transactions. (NNT)
