Police from Thailand’s Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) have arrested a woman for allegedly opening bank accounts used by online scammers, who reportedly cheated a 15-year-old boy out of about 14,000 baht. The boy, who is believed to have stolen the money from his parents, later committed suicide.

Armed with an arrest warrant, CCIB officers went to a house in Tha Rua district of Ayutthaya province yesterday (Tuesday) and arrested the woman. They also seized her smart phone.

The woman, whose name was withheld, reportedly claimed that she responded to an offer on Facebook to open two bank accounts in return for a fee. The accounts were used to park money wired into the accounts by victims of the scammers, before being transferred to the scammers’ accounts.

The CCIB said they found that the school boy, in Nonthaburi Province, had wired money into her bank accounts on several occasions, for investment in some products promising high returns.

The boy later realised that he had been cheated and asked for a refund, but this request was denied.

The victim’s parents decided to seek help from the CCIB, as they felt that there was no progress in the case being handled by the Pak Kret district police.