CHACHOENGSAO — 4 June 2026, a local correspondent for Channel 3 and the current affairs programme Hone Krasae has fallen victim to an online scam after being tricked by a fraudster posing as a seller of a used electric vehicle.
The scammer claimed to require proof that the journalist had sufficient funds for a deposit before arranging delivery of the vehicle. He then persuaded the victim to place 20,000 baht into a TrueMoney gift envelope and share the redemption link as evidence. The money disappeared almost immediately, despite the victim believing no transfer had yet taken place.
Mr. Surachai Phuangsaiyut, a Channel 3 and Hone Krasae correspondent based in Chachoengsao, contacted reporters to share his experience as a warning to the public, particularly users over the age of 30 who may be unfamiliar with the gift envelope feature in the TrueMoney application.
Surachai said he had been browsing a Facebook group for used electric vehicles, hoping to purchase a BYD car to reduce fuel costs associated with his reporting work. During his search, a Facebook user identifying himself as “Jaruwat Itthinotchayo” contacted him via Messenger, offering a white BYD at an attractive price.
The seller claimed he owned two electric vehicles and could no longer afford the repayments. After discussing the deal, the pair agreed to meet at Bang Nam Priao Police Station in Chachoengsao to complete the ownership transfer.
Before the meeting, however, the seller claimed he wanted reassurance that Surachai genuinely had the 20,000-baht deposit available. He insisted that no money needed to be transferred and said he only wanted proof of funds so he would not waste time travelling and could reserve the vehicle for the buyer.
The scammer then asked whether Surachai used the TrueMoney application. When he replied that he did, he was advised to deposit 20,000 baht into the app and keep it there until after the vehicle transfer was completed.
Surachai said he was not immediately suspicious because he had reported on scam cases many times before and the seller repeatedly insisted that no actual transfer was required.
Following the scammer’s instructions, he navigated to the “Send TrueMoney Gift Envelope” option within the app and entered the amount of 20,000 baht. After taking a screenshot as requested, the scammer claimed screenshots could be edited and asked him to proceed to the next step and share the gift envelope link as proof that the funds were genuine.
Believing that no money had yet left his account, Surachai sent the link. He later discovered that anyone with access to the link could immediately redeem the funds without requiring an OTP or any additional verification.
Shortly after sharing the link, the entire 20,000 baht disappeared from his TrueMoney account. The Facebook user then blocked all communication channels, confirming his suspicions that he had been scammed.
Surachai subsequently filed a complaint with investigators at Bang Nam Priao Police Station and contacted TrueMoney. He said the company advised him to report the incident to police first. However, after doing so and contacting the company again, he was informed that it could take up to 14 days before information about the receiving account could be released.
He questioned why a confirmed victim who had already completed the required legal procedures must wait for account details while the scammer remained free to continue targeting other victims.
Surachai described the incident as a costly lesson. Despite his experience reporting on fraud cases, he mistakenly believed that placing money into a gift envelope was not equivalent to transferring it out of his account.
He urged the public, particularly those unfamiliar with digital payment applications, never to share gift envelope links or payment redemption information with strangers, even if they claim it is only for verifying funds or financial capability.
“Once someone receives the link, they can claim the money immediately,” he said. “People can lose their savings in an instant, just as I did.”
