BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thai cybercrime officers arrested a Russian man accused of running a fake investment scheme that cost a 70-year-old businesswoman more than 11.6 million baht.
Fake adviser lured businesswoman
The case began in August when the 70-year-old owner of a well-known medicinal products company received a call from a woman calling herself “Patty” from a firm named MIROX. The caller offered what was described as a lucrative stock investment opportunity. The victim registered on a platform called “mirrox” and started transferring money.
The system displayed spectacular profits, but the figures were entirely fabricated.
“She believed the investment was legitimate,”
said police. In total, she made 23 transfers to seven different bank accounts.
Personal visit and rising losses
The fraud escalated when the alleged perpetrator visited the woman in person at her company in Nakhon Pathom province. There he collected a further 1.5 million baht in cash. This brought the total loss to 11,664,525 baht.
Only after these payments did the businesswoman realise she had been deceived. She reported the crime to the Thai cybercrime authority.
Police traced suspect to Sukhumvit condo
Investigators learned that the scammer continued to contact the victim. They arranged a sting operation, asking her to say she wanted to invest another one million baht, but only in cash. The suspect failed to appear, apparently sensing a trap.
By then, however, officers had already identified the man as Pavel, a 34-year-old Russian living in a luxury condominium in Sukhumvit Soi 42 in Bangkok. With this information, they prepared a raid on his residence.
Raid, arrest and charges
Armed with a search warrant from the South Bangkok Criminal Court, police stormed the condominium. They seized a mobile phone, four bank books, six ATM cards and a passport from the unit.
“Pavel denied the allegations during questioning,”
said Police Lieutenant General Suraphon Prembut, head of cybercrime investigations.
Despite his denial, investigators described the evidence as overwhelming. The Russian suspect now faced charges of fraud, computer-related fraud and money laundering.
Warning to elderly investors
Authorities said the case reflected a familiar pattern in which fraudsters entice victims with supposed investment opportunities and show them falsified returns. Thai police issued a special warning to older people to be wary of such offers, stressing that legitimate financial advisers never demand cash payments.
For the 70-year-old businesswoman, the resolution of the case appeared to have come too late, as her lost assets were considered unlikely to be recovered.