DSI arrests married couple for falsely claiming to offer rigged lottery numbers from Government Lottery Office 'lucky numbers', deceiving people through Facebook with over 3,000 victims

At around 08:00 AM, Mr. Somroek Tangkharawakhun, Acting Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime, along with the officers from the Surveillance and Intelligence Center, joined forces with the military personnel from the Armed Forces Security Center (AFSC) and the Pha Thamin Control Task Force, Special Unit of King Taksin’s Army, led by the 4th Cavalry Squadron, Special Unit of King Taksin’s Army, Pha Muang Task Force. They executed  search warrants issued by the Chiang Rai Provincial Court Nos. 329-332/2566 (2023) dated November 28, 2023, to search a residence in Sri Donmoon Subdistrict, Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province. The operation aimed to arrest Mr. Chatmongkol (surname withheld) and Ms. Manirat (surname withheld), the accused under arrest warrants issued by the Criminal Court No. 2643/2566 and 2644/2566 dated November 21, 2023, respectively, for the charges of “jointly forging and using forged documents and jointly defrauding the public.”

This case originated from a complaint filed with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) by the Government Lottery Office. It was reported that individuals were creating fake documents and advertising through Facebook and other social media platforms, using the name and emblem of the Government Lottery Office. They misled the public into believing that by subscribing, they would receive 'sure-win' lottery numbers from the Government Lottery Office, with a 100% chance of winning. Otherwise, they promised to refund the money. The membership fee ranged from 600 to 1,200 baht per instance. Although each fraudulent transaction did not involve a large sum of money, the focus was on defrauding a large number of people. Over a period of 1-2 years, the total value of the damages amounted to tens of millions of baht, with over 3,000 victims nationwide. The Director-General of the Department of Special Investigation authorized a team of Special case inquiry officials to conduct an investigation and gather evidence. It was found that the perpetrators of these crimes were Mr. Chatmongkol (surname withheld) and Ms. Manirat (surname withheld), a married couple. During the search of their residence, several items used in the commission of these crimes were seized, including mobile phones, computers, ATM cards, and bank passbooks.

Initially, the accused admitted that they learned the methods for committing these crimes from a neighboring country, which is part of the same network as some online gambling groups. Therefore, it is believed that there are several other groups involved in similar criminal activities. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will continue to investigate and expand their efforts to suppress these crimes. The DSI also wishes to warn the public not to be deceived by such fraudulent advertisements. If citizens want to file complaints or provide information about such criminal activities, they can contact through the website www.dsi.go.th, under the banner 'Complaints & Clues Submissions'. This will enable the Special Case inquiry officials to collect evidence and proceed according to the law.

Additionally, In the past, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has made several significant arrests. For instance, Mr. Watin (surname withheld), a member of the Kong Din Subdistrict Administrative Organization in Rayong Province, was an alleged offender in Special Case No. 62/2562. He falsely claimed to be a director of the Government Lottery Office and deceived people into transferring money to purchase 'sure-win' lottery numbers, causing damages exceeding 10 million baht. Another case involved Mr. Jaturong (surname withheld), an alleged offender  in Special Case No. 3/2564. He was charged with public fraud and offenses under the Computer Crime Act, resulting in damages of over 40 million baht. During the search of Mr. Jaturong's residence, numerous proceeds of crime were found, including houses and land, a BMW Z4 car, cash, brand-name, and other properties, totaling approximately 20 million baht in value. Currently, in both cases, the Criminal Court has issued final judgments, sentencing both suspects to a total of 20 years’ imprisonment. The case were under the supervision of Police Captain Piya Raksakul, Deputy Director General of the Department of Special Investigation,  Lieutenant General, Taweesak Maneevong, Commander General of Armed Forces Security Center, and Major General, Praput Pobsuwan, Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force.  Additionally, the case were under the control and command of Police Captain Thinavudth Silapat, Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs and Transnational Crime.