Bangkok Post – Chinese woman rescued after fraud incident

A Chinese woman who lost contact with her family after being tricked into transferring over 8 million baht to a call center fraud gang has been found safe in Samut Prakan.

Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police found 42-year-old Song Xiuhua in an apartment room in Bang Phli district's tambon Ratcha Thewa, Police Maj. Gen. Montree Theskhan, CSD commander, said on Friday.

The search followed a request for help from the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. The embassy alerted the CSD due to her family's concerns that she might be in danger.

Scammers had previously contacted Ms Song's mother, Li Jianshe, on messaging application WeChat, claiming her daughter had been detained and forced to work in Thailand. They demanded a ransom of 2.5 million yuan, about 11.5 million baht, for their release.

The gang then sent a video to Ms Li showing her daughter holding a passport and saying: “I work in Thailand. I am not forced to be videotaped.” This prompted her family to contact the embassy for help.

Police Colonel Manoon Kaewkam, superintendent of CSD Sub-Division 1, said Ms Song left Germany on August 15 to board a flight to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Surveillance footage showed her traveling alone from the airport in Samut Prakan, where she immediately took a taxi.

Song Xiuhua, 42, a victim of a scam, explains her situation to Thai police. (Photo: Crime Prevention Department)

When officers located Ms. Song in the apartment, they initially noticed that she appeared suspicious. According to the apartment owner, the Chinese woman stayed alone and rarely left the room.

Ms. Song told officials that she came to Thailand to examine closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. She insisted she was safe and denied any knowledge of a kidnapping.

When presented with evidence, including messages from the scammers, she appeared unconvinced, prompting officers to contact her parents for an interview.

During questioning, Ms. Song said she received a call on April 11 from someone claiming to be a Chinese police officer, telling her that her phone number was linked to a fraud scheme. The caller insisted that she needed to wire money for an investigation into her alleged involvement in human trafficking to prove her innocence.

When she made her first money transfer, the gang claimed she had transferred the money to the wrong bank account. They demanded that she transfer more money; otherwise she would not receive the money from her original transfer. In total, she transferred over 8 million baht to bank accounts in China and other European countries.

The Chinese woman's parents burst into tears as they read a message and watched a video clip sent by a Chinese call center fraud gang featuring their daughter. (Photo: Crime Prevention Department)

Police Colonel Manoon, who led the search operation, said the gang later tricked the Chinese victim into traveling to Thailand, claiming someone there could provide legal assistance. When they arrived, the gang instructed them to install Skype communications software and to keep the video calling feature on at all times.

They told Ms. Song to stay in her room and not show her passport to anyone. They also asked her to record a video, which was later sent to her mother as part of her ransom demand. According to police Col Manoon, the victim had to report to the gang daily during his stay in Thailand.

Ms Song remained in Thailand from August 15 until Tuesday, changing her accommodation frequently – up to eight times – before she was found.

The gang threatened her, claiming she would not get her money back and would face legal consequences if she revealed her situation to anyone.

Police Colonel Manoon said her mother had not yet paid any ransom in response to the gang's demand.