On December 9, Pol. Lt. Gen. Trirong Phiwphan, Acting Commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), addressed the case involving Miss Grand Thailand contestant Charlotte Austin, who fell victim to an elaborate scam. The perpetrators posed as cyber police, extorting 4 million baht and forcing her to remain under 24-hour surveillance via video call.
Upon learning of the incident through media reports, Lt. Gen. Trirong assigned a team led by Pol. Maj. Gen. Chatchapantakan Klaiklueng to investigate. Efforts to contact the victim directly have been unsuccessful, possibly due to her personal commitments.
The scam followed a common tactic, where the fraudsters falsely claimed the victim’s name had been used to open a bank account linked to criminal activity. They demanded the victim transfer money for verification purposes, leading to the substantial loss.
Although Charlotte has yet to file a formal complaint, authorities have begun preliminary investigations. The CCIB urged her to provide information on the scammers' bank accounts and contact details to expedite legal action in collaboration with banking institutions.