About 70 Chinese students defrauded of nearly $297,000 in Thailand

(ECNS) -- About 70 Chinese students in Thailand have lost nearly 10 million baht ($297,000), or about 2 million yuan, in an alleged scam involving fake apartment rental listings, Thailand's Sing Sian Yer Pao newspaper reported.

Representatives of the students met investigators at the Thai Central Investigation Bureau's complaint reception center on Tuesday to file a complaint over the alleged fraud, the report said.

The suspects allegedly posted fake apartment rental advertisements to lure Chinese students into signing long-term leases and paying rent in advance. After receiving the money, they provided accommodation that did not match the advertised terms and later instructed tenants to move to other properties. Eventually, people claiming to be the actual owners confronted the victims and demanded that they leave.

The victims have submitted evidence to investigators, including rental contracts, bank transfer receipts and chat records with the agents, the report said.

One victim, identified only by his surname, Tao, said he had signed a three-year apartment lease with a Thai agent and paid more than 156,000 baht (about $4,600) in advance while preparing to study for master's and doctoral degrees in Thailand.

After arriving in the country, Tao found that the apartment provided by the agent did not match the agreed terms. About five months after he moved in, the agent told him the property had been sold and asked him to relocate.

Five months after moving to the new apartment, Tao said, a person claiming to be the owner showed up and demanded that he leave immediately, saying the owner had never received any rent. Tao then reported the case to police.

In another case, a victim transferred a 50,000-baht ($1,500) deposit to an agent for a property transaction, but the agent failed to complete the promised transfer of ownership by the agreed deadline. When the victim sought a refund, the agent repeatedly put off the request before eventually becoming unreachable.

A lawyer representing the victims said the investigation had identified a woman as the agent handling apartment rentals and sales, and the payments had been transferred to a man's bank account. The relationship between the two remains unclear, the lawyer said.

The group also allegedly lured people into investment schemes by promising to double their money through investments in apartment auctions.

The alleged fraud has been going on for one to two years, according to the lawyer, with individual victims losing from tens of thousands to millions of baht.

Police have accepted the complaints and questioned the victims. The investigation is ongoing.