Woman arrested over alleged B1.5m Phuket villa booking scam
Police arrested a woman in Thalang after two Russian tourists reported paying B1.5 million for a Phuket villa that had not been reserved.
A woman has been arrested in Thalang after two Russian tourists reported paying B1.5 million for a luxury villa in Phuket that had not been reserved, police said.
The tourists told the Region 8 Police Transnational Crime Suppression Center that they had arranged accommodation before travelling to Thailand through a woman identified as Thanaporn, also known as Yu. Her surname was withheld.
Police said Thanaporn showed them photographs and names of luxury villas. After they selected a property in Cherng Talay, Thalang, they paid B1.5 million in advance. When they arrived in Phuket, they could not contact her, and staff at the villa told them no reservation had been made.
The tourists filed a formal complaint while seeking help to recover their money. Police said they suspected there could be other victims and later obtained an arrest warrant.
At about 6am on 26 August, officers from the Region 8 Investigation Division and Thalang Police Station found Thanaporn hiding at a house in Thalang. Police said a check showed she was wanted on three outstanding arrest warrants for similar fraud offences.
During questioning, Thanaporn allegedly admitted having other victims and told police she had obtained about B5 million through the activities, according to police. She was handed over to investigators at Thalang Police Station for legal proceedings.
Anyone who believes they were also a victim has been asked to contact Thalang Police Station to file an additional complaint.
