Six charged over alleged Bt986,700 online theft

Suspects Ekkapoj Rattanakorn, 29, Pattanarossapong Kansit, 33, three 18-year-old accomplices and one 17-year-old youth were presented at a press conference in the province by Ayutthaya police chief Pol Maj-General Sutthi Poungpikul.

Police said the six used information provided by shop owner Phansutee Meeleukij, 28, to get another SIM card for his cellphone to make the transactions. Five cellphones seized as evidence were also displayed yesterday.

The six initially faced charges of conspiring to commit theft and document forgery in relation to Phansutee’s case, in which the suspects allegedly split the money. 

 

Plan for fingerprinting

Police also said the gang allegedly had carried out similar scams on eight previous occasions in various provinces. 

The case came to light after Phansutee filed a police complaint at the Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya Police Station on July 31, claiming that someone had used his Internet banking logon to steal money from his account after his mobile service was cut off. 

An investigation found that a suspect had modified a copy of Phansutee’s ID card, which was then used at a True branch office to apply for a replacement SIM card using Pansuthee’s current phone number. The SIM then enabled him to receive a one-time password needed for an online transaction. 

Phansutee’s complaint led to Kasikornbank returning his money, a demand that True Corp compensate him over the mix-up about the SIM card and a National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission plan to introduce fingerprint scanning software by the end of the year to protect consumers who use mobile phones to carry out bank transactions.

Phansutee, who attended the press conference to identify the suspects yesterday, also presented a flower basket to police thanking them for their swift action in arresting the gang.