Crime
Teen Hangs Herself After Being Scammed Over iPhone 13
Police are looking for an online scam ring that misled a teen into paying installments for a non-existent iPhone 13. According to police, the 19-year-old student killed herself after being duped into paying 20,000 baht online for a non-existent iPhone 13.
Police were looking for the scammers on Tuesday, including a lady who operated a mule account that the group used to receive cash.
On Sunday evening, Atiya, a Mathayom Suksa 6 (Grade 12) student, was discovered hanging by a rope around her neck, tied to a beam, in her bedroom at the family home in tambon Koh Thuad of Pak Phanang district.
According to police detectives, it appears that stress from being duped by online scammers caused her to commit herself.
Police questioned three close acquaintances of the deceased student, as well as her aunt, who lived at the same residence. They discovered that Atiya had contacted a mobile phone business on social media, claiming to be in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai area, to purchase an iPhone 13 in installments.
Before she could receive the iphone, the shop required a down payment.
The teen made four payments totaling 18,500 baht for the iPhone 13into a bank account in the name of Ms Dokkaew.
On her phone were money transfer slips and chat messages between the student and the merchant. But she didn’t get the phone after she paid the deposit. She had contacted the merchant multiple times before requesting a refund of her money.
Later, the business responded, requesting an additional 2,000 baht as guarantee money for the iPhone. She wired the extra funds.
Following the payment, there was no answer. Atiya discovered she had been duped. Two close friends had loaned me some of the money. She was also terrified of her mother scolding her. This all caused her a lot of anxiety.
On October 15, about 3.15 p.m., she sent her final message to one of her two closest pals. She claimed she had been duped and was afraid her mother would berate her. When she didn’t respond, her frightened friend contacted Atiya’s family and asked them to enter her bedroom.
They had to force open the locked bedroom door. When they got inside, they discovered she had hanged herself. The family was in turmoil.
Koh Thuad’s inquiry chief, Pol Lt Col Sawat Niyomdet, launched an immediate investigation. The phone shop in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai did not exist, according to police. Local investigators were collaborating with cybercrime officers to track down the crooks, beginning with the owner of the bank account.
Ms Boonyuen, the deceased student’s mother, broke down in tears as she informed reporters what had happened to her daughter on Tuesday.
She’d heard about online frauds and a student who committed suicide after being duped, but she never imagined it would happen to her daughter.
She stated that her daughter desired an iPhone 13 for use at university the next year, but that it was prohibitively pricey. She advised her to hold off until the end of the month. Instead, Atiya went online to purchase one in installments and was duped.
“This would not have happened if she had told me she was going to buy a smartphone online in installments.” ”I would never have criticised her because I adore her,” Ms Boonyuen sobbed, her tears streaming down her face.
She requested that authorities apprehend the thieves as soon as possible so that they do not cause further harm to others.
