Thai police rescue student tricked into staging kidnapping for ransom
BANGKOK — 17 October 2026, Metropolitan police rescued a university student who was manipulated by a call-centre scam gang into isolating themselves and staging a fake kidnapping to pressure their parents into paying a ransom, police said. Pathumwan Police Station received a report from the student’s parents that their child had gone missing from their […] The post Thai police rescue student…
A university student in Bangkok was tricked into staging a fake kidnapping and ransom scheme by a call-centre scam gang, according to a report by Khaosod English. The student received a call from someone posing as a mobile network operator employee, who informed them that their national ID details were being used for fraudulent activities.
The scammer then transferred the conversation to another person posing as a police officer, leading the student to believe they were under investigation. Over the next few days, the scammers pressured the student to transfer 36,000 baht, deactivate their phone number, and stage a scene of being kidnapped and assaulted. The parents eventually discovered the scam after realizing their son did not have the scholarship claimed, and contacted the police for assistance.
Brief written by urgent.news from Khaosod English's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
