Chinese woman was found safe following a 25-million-baht swindle in Bangkok

Chinese woman was found safe following a 25-million-baht swindle in Bangkok

A 27-year-old Chinese woman, originally believed to have been kidnapped for a 25-million-baht ransom, was found by police at a shopping center in the Bang Na area yesterday evening. 

The cops located Lu Xinlei at HomePro Bangna. She was then escorted to Phra Khanong Police Station, where she was reunited with her mother and elder sister, who had lately arrived from China following rumors of her possible kidnapping.

Reports indicated that Lu worked for a property company in Japan. She had been targeted by a scam gang posing as Japanese authorities, who falsely accused her of violating an anti-money-laundering law.

The scammers instructed her to transfer them 17 million yen (US$109,000) for examination, travel to either Thailand or Singapore and refrain from contacting her parents in Shanghai.

Lu arrived in Thailand on May 29. The scammers directed her to change her SIM card and stay in different hotels regularly.

On May 31, a man contacted her parents in China, claiming she had been kidnapped and demanding a ransom of 5 million yuan, equivalent to 25 million baht (US$680,000), for her release. A Chinese-language interpreter relayed the parents’ complaint to local police later that day.

Police determined that both Lu and her parents were victims of a call scam gang, deceived through a chat application without any actual abduction, a police spokesperson said.

“We believe the scammers tricked both the victim and her family. There was no real kidnapping involved.”

Despite the alarming nature of the incident, police assured the public that Lu was safe and unharmed. The investigation into the identity and location of the scammers continues, reported Bangkok Post.

Officials urge the public to be vigilant against similar scams and report any suspicious activities immediately.