Thai bank manager paid scammers 1M baht – for a 500K loan

An attorney representing a banker tricked into paying THB1,360,000 (US$37,000) to secure a loan worth under half that said today that it’s not as implausible as it sounds.

Asked how the manager of a bank could be talked into sinking a vast sum in hope of receiving a relatively paltry amount, a lawyer from the Network of Campaigning for Justice told Coconuts that people shouldn’t rush to judgment.

“This kind of scam happens more often than you think,” said the attorney from the law firm of Ronnarong Kaewpetch. “The scammers built a web of trust with the victim. The woman fell for it because the company offering the loan seemed legitimate.”

According to the unlikely story that emerged last night, the woman, identified by police only as B, had gone seeking a personal loan from Kasikorn Bank. Soon thereafter, she received a message via Line inviting her…