Cyber police arrest 4 scammers in high-profile fraud case involving actress Charlotte Austin

According to Pol Lt Gen Trairong Phiwphan, the CCIB chief, the fraudsters posed as police officers and convinced the actress to transfer 4 million baht, threatening her with false allegations of involvement in a money-laundering ring. The incident took place on December 8, 2024.

After an investigation, four suspects were arrested, while one key individual, a Cambodian cryptocurrency account holder, remains at large. The police have issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest and are actively pursuing them abroad. The charges against the suspects include fraud, data manipulation, money laundering, and cross-border organized crime.

Trairong stated that on May 29, the Criminal Court sentenced the suspects as follows:

• Defendant 1 (Ms. P, 40 years old): 6 years 150 months for opening the bank account and performing facial scans in Cambodia before passing the information to the other defendants.
• Defendant 2 (Mr. A, 43 years old): 7 years 150 months for collecting bank accounts and forwarding them to Defendant 4’s group.
• Defendant 3 (Mrs. C, 51 years old): 7 years 150 months for the same role as Defendant 2.
• Defendant 4 (Mr. T, 28 years old): 6 years 146 months for posing as a police officer on video calls with the victim and coercing her into transferring money to Defendant 1’s account.

The court also ordered the four defendants to jointly repay the 4 million baht, plus 5% interest per year starting from December 8, 2024. The defendants have one month to appeal the verdict.

Trairong added that the CCIB and the Office of the Attorney General are working together to seize the digital assets (cryptocurrencies) held by the fugitive Cambodian suspect through Binance, the service provider. This collaboration will help recover the seized digital assets and provide compensation to the victims of the scam.