UDON THANI, THAILAND – An 18-year-old student was tricked into pawning her mother’s gold and transferring 140,000 baht. Criminals isolated her in a hotel using AI voice and fake police.
The student, known only as Dao, fell victim to a brazen scam. Police rescued her on August 3 after her uncle spotted a clue.
Instagram tracks student to hotel
After the family filed a complaint, officers from the Udon Thani City Police tracked the student’s location through her Instagram account. They found the hotel and used a key card to enter the room.
Dao was alone when police arrived. The criminals kept control over her through an iPad video call. Police said she looked disoriented – she had followed their orders and was not allowed to sleep.
Fake police station video call
Superintendent Pattawong Chanphon of the Udon Thani City Police described the gang’s sophisticated tactics. The crooks first posed as an AIS employee, then as police officers, telling Dao her phone number was linked to money laundering.
To back up the lie, they sent her fake official documents. During video calls, they used backgrounds that looked almost identical to real police stations.
Uncle catches AI voice
When friends and relatives could not reach Dao, the scammers called her mother. They claimed the daughter had been kidnapped and threatened violence unless 100,000 baht was paid.
The student’s uncle got suspicious during the call. He noticed irregularities in his niece’s voice. He realised a AI-generated voice was being used and rushed the terrified mother straight to the police.
Family hit with fake kidnapping extortion
By that time, Dao had already pawned her mother’s gold jewellery – weighing 2.5 baht – as the criminals instructed. The stolen 140,000 baht had already been transferred, supposedly for an urgent police investigation.
The gang then forced Dao to switch off her phone, block all contact channels, and isolate herself in the hotel room. Constant video surveillance left her no freedom.
Police hunt professional fraud gang
The Udon Thani City Police are now analysing digital traces to identify the masterminds. The criminals operated with high technical skill, combining modern AI voices with classic extortion methods.
Dao is safe, but the investigation to catch the perpetrators continues.