CHIANG RAI – A local man recently fell victim to a mule account scam after attempting to find a partner on a dating app. The woman he met convinced him to let her transfer money into his bank account.
Not long after, his account was frozen, then closed, leading to a police summons to his home with no warning. The scammer, having got what she wanted, disappeared and cut off all contact.
On Friday, the issue of mule accounts along the border was again in the spotlight. Many young people have been duped into opening bank accounts for criminals. Legal action has been taken against numerous victims, and now schools are also being affected.
Most recently, these scams have moved onto dating apps, leading to a Chiang Rai resident receiving a summons from Bang Sue police for fraud, despite having no idea what he had done wrong.
Wacharapol Jamchuree, known as Sua, 26, shared his story. Feeling lonely, he used a dating app and matched with an attractive woman. After a month of chatting and getting to know each other, he started to like her.
She Claimed to be an Online Seller
They agreed to meet at a restaurant in Chiang Rai, and Sua brought his younger brother along for company. During the meal, the woman showed genuine interest in Sua.
While they ate, she claimed to be an online seller and asked to borrow the bank accounts of both Sua and his brother, saying it would help her avoid taxes. On the way home, the woman followed them and again asked to borrow their accounts.
Neither Sua nor his brother thought much of it, so they handed over their SIM cards and let her take photos of their ID cards and scan their faces for verification. It all happened quickly. After gathering the information, she returned the SIM cards and IDs, even giving them 1,000 baht as a “thank you”, appearing generous.
The next day, Sua went to work and tried to pay for lunch by scanning his banking app, but the transaction failed. When he checked with the bank, he found out his account had been frozen.
The bank advised him to speak with the police, which is when he recalled the woman from the dating app had asked to use his account. Realizing he had been tricked, he tried to contact her but couldn’t get through, and all their chat history had been deleted.
Sua’s mother, Lamduan Jamchuree, 50, questioned the bank’s processes. She noticed large sums were being transferred into her son’s account in quick succession. The account statement showed lines of transactions.
Even after the account was frozen, more money continued to move through, adding to the losses for others. She called for banks to take better care of account holders in cases like this.
Dating App Scams
Dating scams are on the rise worldwide, and Thailand sees more of them each year. Its popularity with tourists, expats, and people looking for connections online has made it a target for fraudsters. Scammers set up fake profiles on Tinder, Bumble, and local Thai dating apps, often aiming at foreigners who want companionship.
These scams play on emotions, causing huge financial losses. In 2023, more than $1 billion was lost globally to online scams, and cases in Thailand have climbed quickly, linking to other cybercrimes. “Mule accounts” are behind much of the money movement in these scams. Scammers use these accounts to hide stolen cash and lower their own risk of getting caught.
In Thailand, there are more than 1 million mule accounts linked to dating app scams, leading to losses of 60 billion THB ($1.7 billion) between 2022 and 2024. Criminals often recruit these mules through fake job offers or pressure those in debt, usually targeting locals or visiting tourists who need cash fast.
If you’ve been scammed, act straight away. Call your bank to try to stop payments or block your account. Report the crime to Thai authorities, like the Tourist Police (1155) or the Anti-Online Scam Center (1441). If you’re abroad, contact agencies like the FTC or IC3. Save all proof, such as screenshots and money transfers. Get legal advice if possible; while recovering money is tough, it’s sometimes possible.
