Thai woman duped into buying gold makes surprise over US$70K profit amid price surge
A 70-year-old woman in Thailand lost her savings to a scam but unexpectedly made a profit after being tricked into buying gold just before global prices soared.
- A 70-year-old Thai woman was duped into buying gold by scammers pretending to be police.
- Police caught a Hong Kong national linked to an international scam network during a sting operation.
- Due to a 15% gold price surge, the woman ended up making a profit of about US$70,000 despite the scam.
BANGKOK — A 70-year-old woman in Thailand who fell victim to a call-centre scam unexpectedly made a profit of more than US$70,000 after being tricked into buying gold — just before global prices soared.
According to Ch7HD News, the woman lost over 410,000 baht (approximately US$11,200) after scammers told her that her bank account was linked to a money-laundering investigation. They later convinced her to convert her remaining savings into gold to “protect” her assets.
Scam turns into an unexpected windfall
Over several weeks, the woman spent about 14 million baht (approximately US$383,000) buying gold bars at a local shop. Her suspicions grew when the scammer instructed her to place the gold in a milk powder tin and deliver it to a meeting point.
On 17 October 2025, she reported the incident to police, who conducted a sting operation the following day. Plainclothes officers disguised as a delivery rider and a motorcycle taxi driver arrested a Hong Kong national who arrived to collect the gold.
Police later confirmed that the suspect was part of an international scam syndicate that retrieves valuables from fraud victims.
Gold sale nets massive profit
Following the case, the woman sold her gold for 16.7 million baht (approximately US$456,000), benefiting from a 15% jump in global gold prices during that period. After subtracting her initial losses, she still netted roughly 2.3 million baht (approximately US$62,000) in profit.
Thai media noted that she sold her gold near the market’s peak, as prices have since dropped by over 6%.
