CSD targets spirit medium cons
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has vowed to clamp down on people organising superstitious activities duping unsuspecting customers nationwide.
CSD chief Suthin Subphuang announced the crackdown after police earlier arrested a 34-year-old transgender woman posing as a medium for spirits at an unnamed location in tambon Prak-Praek of Kanchanaburi’s Muang district.
She has been accused of operating the medium service as a front to swindle people, with victims claiming she had duped them out of more than 60 million baht.
Atitaya Sanyathamkot, who claimed to be a spiritual medium with the alias of “Muang Kaew Princess”, conned her customers into making donations to her, Pol Maj Gen Suthin said, adding many people have fallen prey to the scam.
The suspect, he said, would invite wealthy people to join a Line application group where she would offer knowledge of dhamma practice. Most of her victims were Thais based in the United States.
The victims were later asked to return to practise dhamma in Thailand. After that, the victims were duped into donating large sums of money to the suspect, Pol Maj Gen Suthin said.
They were told to donate the money regardless of whether it had been unlawfully obtained, which clearly contravenes Buddhist teachings, he said, adding the victims were also told not to tell their relatives about the activities at the facility.
People in Ms Atitaya’s network also told the victims a series of stories about Ms Atitaya’s supernatural powers, making them believe in her teachings.
Ms Atitaya also performed a medium service and spoke in various voices of a woman, man and child, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Suthin said Ms Atitaya then told the victims the spirit possessing her wanted money to be donated to the medium, and the more they gave, the more powerful the blessings would be.
The suspect allegedly said that if the victims paid 18 million baht, they would become enlightened.
According to police, Ms Atitaya denied the allegation, saying she and other people worked together to build a facility to practise dhamma and that there was no swindling involved.
She insisted she could not even withdraw money from the facility’s bank account, police said.
Pol Maj Gen Suthin said the facility was also located on land without a title deed, suggesting it is public land, and the police would look into the matter. Police were checking similar medium services around the country to see whether there was foul play.
He also called on the public to be careful who they donate their money to. He noted many victims of similar scams have ended up deep in financial trouble.
One of the victims in the Kanchanaburi medium service scam said she lost more than 10 million baht to the suspect. She said she decided to file a police complaint against Ms Atitaya after she ran a check and found her background to be dubious.