BANGKOK — A Japanese businessman working in Thailand lost over 300,000 baht from being tricked into applying for a permanent visa. When he went to file a complaint, he was allegedly further extorted by cyber police for another 10,000 baht.
On August 21, Shinichi Maeda, a 51-year-old Japanese national and clothing export businessman in the Bobae-Pratunam area who exports to Japan, along with his secretary, Ms. Namtan, 34, met with Pol.Lt.Col. Natee Wuttiphathorn, an inquiry officer at Division 1, Investigation Bureau, at the Complaint Center of the Central Investigation Bureau to file charges against those who deceived him, including state officials who subsequently scammed him.
Shinichi said that in 2019, he wanted to apply for a permanent resident visa in Thailand. He consulted with the accounting company he had hired, which introduced him to a man named “Tong” who claimed he could process a permanent visa. Shinichi believed him and transferred some money for the process. In 2020, Tong informed him that the visa process would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, Tong contacted him again asking for more money, claiming progress on the permanent visa. Shinichi then transferred money 16 times, ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 baht each time, totaling over 300,000 baht ($8,760). However, there was no progress after that. After two years passed, he consulted with friends and became convinced he had been scammed.
Shinichi said that after realizing he might have been deceived, he filed a complaint at Phetkasem Police Station for fraud charges against Tong. Someone then advised him to also report to the Technology Crime Suppression Division or cyber police. A cyber police officer suggested he change the case to a loan agreement, converting it from a criminal to a civil case to recover the money.
“This officer told me he would help process it, but I needed to pay a ‘coffee fee’ of 5,000 baht ($146) and he also borrowed another 5,000 baht. I gave him the money, but there was no progress in the case. So I came to file a complaint at the Crime Suppression Division today because I want my money back. If I can’t get it back, I want legal action to be taken,” he said.
Initially, the inquiry officer has taken the victim’s statement as evidence before submitting the matter to superiors for further orders.
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