First of all, cutest press conference photo ever; big props to the metro police for rolling the kittehs out.
A man arrested by police yesterday for operating a profitable cat-selling scam said a desperate need to treat his sick cats which drove him to a life of crime.
Thammanit Taowannee, 31, and his three cats were taken into custody yesterday at a pet clinic in Bangkok’s Khan Na Yao district, ending a bold scam in which he and his girlfriend lured people to pay for a pussy they would never receive.
Dreaming of owning a Persian or Scottish Fold, more than 50 people sent money to Thammanit, who operated a number of fake websites offering to furnish customers with fine furry friends at prices to make them purr.
Thammanit’s 10 different bank accounts showed 250 transfer transactions totaling about THB1.5 million, according to police.
Thammanit admitted to stealing cat pictures online then posting them on his websites along with low prices for each kitty: THB5,000 to 27,000.
A real Persian cat can cost upward of THB100,000, according to one victim who paid Thammanit only THB10,000 after she was seduced by his pretty kitty photos.
Thammanit said after every 10 victims, he would close the website and open a new one.
Like many archvillains, Thammanit’s origins story began with his own victimization.
He said that he fell for the same cat con and lost a lot of money. When his Persian cats became ill, he couldn’t afford their treatment on his salary as an IT tech. So he turned to his own experience and started scamming others.
Police have charged Thammanit and his girlfriend, identified as “Oi,” for fraud. Oi allegedly chatted with their customers via the Line app and is still on the run, Matichon reported.
Photo: MCOT News
