Police have arrested a European man on charges of hacking the database of a hotel in Pattaya, which he then used to send messages to guests claiming they had damaged hotel property and demanding compensation.
Both Thai and foreign nationals fell victim to the scam, with total losses estimated at around 100,000 baht, according to Cyber Crime Investigation Division 1.
The suspect, identified only as Mikael, 42, was arrested on Wednesday after the unnamed hotel became aware of the scheme and alerted police.
Investigators examined digital evidence found on the mobile phone of the suspect, who they said had Swedish and Finnish nationality. It appeared that he used specialised tools to decrypt the data, cyber police said.
The suspect then created a fake website and a fraudulent hotel email account to contact the victims while he posed as a senior-level hotel employee.
More than 35 people believed the suspect’s claims and transferred money to his account, police said. Twenty electronic devices used for the scheme were seized from the suspect’s residence in Bang Lamung district.
