A Thai couple has been sentenced to a total of 12,640 years in prison after scamming people out of millions on Facebook. However, they could be released after 20 years, as the country's law stipulates a maximum prison term of 20 years.
According to a report by The Bangkok Post, the prison sentences were reduced to 5,056 years per person due to the defendants' confessions. The unusually high sentence arises from the fact that the couple had to answer for numerous charges and the prison sentences in Thailand can be added together.
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The scam took place between March and October 2019 when the suspects encouraged people on Facebook to invest in a supposed savings plan with high returns. Over 2,500 people fell for the trick and transferred a total of 1.3 billion Thai baht (around 35 million euros). However, the defendants are said to have used the money for themselves.
Despite the draconian punishments, Thai law requires those convicted to spend a maximum of 20 years in prison. It remains to be seen whether they will actually be released after this time and what consequences the fraud will have for those affected.
Source: Bangkok Post
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