Thai feng shui guru falls from grace as 25 victims complain of fraud

So far, 25 people have filed police complaints against a so-called feng shui master for allegedly cheating them out of 80 million baht, the Central Investigation Bureau said on Wednesday.

Po Col Anek Taosuparp, deputy commander of the bureau’s Crime Suppression Division (CSD), said these complaints have only been made at the Bangkok Noi Police Station. He added that other police stations were also compiling information on cases against Thanawat Jiracharoenwet, who is the owner of Tili Huangjui company, which specialises in feng shui and relevant “sacred things”.

Anek said other police stations are compiling information on other cases related to Thanawat and will soon transfer them to CSD.

Thanawat, better known as Acharn Od, made a name for himself when he appeared on The Unlock show broadcast on PPTV HD station and advised several shops and businesses on how they can adjust their premises to welcome success.

However, he was hit with allegations of deception and cheating after a 77-year-old woman told the Facebook news page บิ๊กเกรียน (Big Kren) on Sunday that the so-called feng shui master had swindled her out of nearly 66 million baht. She said she called Thanawat because she suspected there was negative energy in her home. Upon arrival, the so-called master claimed her home was under the influence of “wind arrows” from a condo development nearby and suggested she purchase some sacred things.

She said she paid him 4.4 million baht for a special ceremony to ward off the effects of “black magic” allegedly conducted by her neighbours, 2.6 million baht for a pair of Chinese dragons and another 38.4 million baht for a special carved stone from China, which she is yet to receive.

After this report, many other victims surfaced and filed complaints against Thanawat at Bangkok Noi Police Station.
 
Fraudulent practices

A woman, who claims to have been Thanawat’s childhood friend, told Hone Krase that Thanawat’s father was a taxi driver who happened to have driven an actual feng shui master once. She said he picked up some feng shui knowledge from this master and then passed it on to his son.

Meanwhile, Anek said there was also a victim from Malaysia who had sent an authorised representative to file a complaint against Thanawat at the CSD. He said all the cases so far had a similar pattern of alleged deception.

He said that typically, Thanawat visited the victims’ homes or business places and then told them that there were problems with their furniture or things there. Then he would advise them to correct the bad luck by having him perform special rites and and by buying sacred things from him.

Anek said several victims had paid for these so-called sacred things but got nothing.

He added that the case so far fell under the status of cheating, and police will later consider whether to upgrade it to public deception.
Thanawat has not been summoned for questioning yet because police were in the process of collecting testimony from victims and gathering evidence, Anek said.
 
When it all started

Thanawat set up Tili Huangjui in 2018 and it quickly gained popularity after he gave TV interviews, where he claimed he was a 15th generation member of an ancient Chinese family that specialised in the science of feng shui.

However, his claims were busted when a PR executive told the Hone Krasae show on Channel 3 that she had arranged for Thanawat’s TV interviews before he became famous. She said these interviews often cost a lot of money.

Tili Huangjui claims to specialise in feng shui, a Chinese system of geomancy that aims to harmonise individuals with their surroundings. The company offers several services, including consultations, energy audits and space planning. They also provide products such as feng shui amulets and lucky charms.

According to the Business Development Department, Tili Huangjui was registered with a capital of 1 million, while Thanawat held 8,000 shares or an 80% stake in the company with a value of 5.68 million baht.

Its reports filed to the department so far are:

• 2019: Revenue – 1.53 billion baht; Loss – 1.21 billion baht
• 2020: Revenue – 1.66 billion baht; Loss – 1.596 billion baht
• 2021: Revenue – 2.84 billion baht; Loss – 5.71 billion baht

The company has declared assets worth 8.39 billion baht but has accumulated losses of 15.49 billion baht.