Police warns against vaccine scam gang after 20 people defrauded in Udon Thani
Twenty people in Udon Thani province were scammed by a gang claiming to be a life insurance agency that could get them the Sinopharm vaccine at THB1,800 for two jabs, Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol Maj-General Yingyos Thepjamnong said on Thursday.
“The gang claimed that the vaccine came from the lot that the Federation of Thai Industries had ordered from Chulabhorn Royal Academy,” he said. “They created a Line group called 'Vaccine Sinopharm' and invited potential victims to join the group, which provided information on vaccine arrival date and schedule of transportation to hospitals on the vaccination date to lure the customers into believing that they will get the jab.”
After 20 victims transferred a total of THB36,000 to the agency, they checked with the listed hospitals and found that their names were not on any vaccination schedule, prompting them to file a police complaint.
“Further investigation revealed that the Line group has more than 1,000 members, so the number of victims could be more than 20,” said Yingyos. “There are also similar complaints filed in Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Khon Kaen, and Bangkok provinces where victims said that they had transferred the money to a life insurance agency which promised to get them the vaccine.
“All the victims reported that they had transferred the money to a Kasikornbank account in the Kaeng Khoy branch in Saraburi province, so we are suspecting that it could be the same gang,” he added.
“Please beware of this scam, and only reserve the vaccine from reliable agencies. Currently the Sinopharm vaccine must be reserved directly with Chulabhorn Royal Academy,” said Yingyos.
“If you have already transferred the money, you can file a complaint at the police station in the area where the money transfer took place,” he added.