BANGKOK, Nov 6 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Hybrid romance scams cheated victims out of 861.49 million baht (RM110 million) in the eight months between March 1 and October 31 this year, the Royal Thai Police said on Sunday.
The scams use the promise of a romantic relationship to lure victims into investing large sums of money.
A total of 2,123 complaints of hybrid romance scams were filed via www.thaipoliceonline.com between March and October 1, said police spokeswoman Noppawan Panya.
“A total of 189 cases worth over 150 million baht were filed in October alone,” she said.
Hybrid romance scammers usually use fake profiles on dating apps, Line, Facebook or Instagram to lure their victims, she said.
The criminals often use photos of good-looking men or women in their profiles.
“After gaining their victim’s confidence, the scammer will advise them to invest a small amount of money via a fake app or website,” she explained. The
At first, victims will be able to withdraw their cash or make a profit, Noppawan said. But after they invest larger sums, they will find that the criminals demand extra fees to withdraw the money. The scammers will often then disappear along with the money invested.
People with information about online scams can contact the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau hotline on 1441 or the Police Cyber Taskforce at 081 866 3000.
Victims can also file complaints at www.thaipoliceonline.com. – The Nation Thailand/ANN