The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) shared the warning from the AFNC yesterday, just one hour after the AFNC posted the warning themselves.
The AFNC warning said, “Fake news, don’t share!... Phuket Town Police Station send line message Reporting illegal shipments abroad.”
“According to the information about Phuket Town Police Station sending LINE messages reporting illegal shipments abroad, the Anti-Fake News Center conducted a fact check with the Phuket Provincial Police Station. The Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office found that such issues is false information,” the warning said.
“The information that is forwarded identifies itself as the official LINE account of Phuket Town Police Station. Messages are sent to people via LINE, reporting that illegal items have been sent abroad,” the warning said.
“The public are to immediately contact the Phuket Provincial Police Station [through the fake LINE account],” the warning continues.
“The Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office has examined and clarified the aforementioned issues and confirmed that the message was created and sent by a scammer.
“There is an epidemic [sic] of call center gangs using the logo of the Phuket Provincial Police Station in order for people to misunderstand. It is not a real LINE account from the Phuket Provincial Police Station and the message was not a message sent from the Phuket Provincial Police Station in any way,” the warning continued.
“Therefore, people are asked not to trust such information. We ask for cooperation not to send or share such information on various social media channels,” the warning urged.
People were urged to verify the accuracy of such claims by following the Phuket Provincial Public Relations Office through the website https://pr.prd.go.th/phuket or by calling 076-216118.
People were urged to follow and to report fake news posts online at:
- LINE: @antifakenewscenter (http://nav.cx/uyKYnsG)
- Website: https://www.antifakenewscenter.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFNCThailand
- Hotline: Government Information Service Center for the People 1111 ext. 87
Phuket City Police Chief Col Sarawut Chuprasittoday told The Phuket News today (Feb 18) that the scam reported by the AFNC is not the same scam as reported by long-term Phuket expat Alain Gogniat earlier this month.
“The news from the Anti Fake News Center is a separate case from the first case, which the police are now investigating as well," Col sarawut said.
“Mueang Phuket Police station does not have an official LINE account,” he confirmed
"The police will not contact people by LINE app," he added.
“If there are people who have been contacted via LINE to report parcels or demand money, that is not the police. The LINE account is fake,” he said.
"There are a lot of fake police LINE accounts in Thailand right now," he added.
“If someone calls you and tells you to transfer money to check [the source of the funds], they are a scammer, not a police,” he reassured.
However, now more than two weeks later Phuket City Police have made no progress in Mr Gogniat’s case, in which the person in the LINE video call was wearing a Royal Thai Police uniform.
Also, the warning issued by the ANFC yesterday showed an image different from the LINE account used by alleged scammers in defrauding Mr Gogniat.
At last report, a week ago, police at Phuket City Police Station told Mr Gogniat that they had tracked down Pongdanai Chaya, the man who received the funds errantly transferred by Mr Gogniat.
Mr Pongdanai is a resident in Chiang Mai.
Police have not confirmed whether or not Mr Pongdanai is a police officer, though Col Sarawut today confirmed police still have not brought him in for questioning.
“Pongdanai Chaiya has not been arrested. It [presumably the case] is still in the process of investigation,” he said.
No other details of any progress in the investigation were provided.