Thai woman arrested over largest romance scam at Hat Yai airport
A Thai woman linked to the largest romance scam in the nation’s history was apprehended at Hat Yai International Airport, according to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday, February 2.
CIB police detained 52 year old Orathai, whose surname is withheld, at the airport’s arrival terminal after she arrived from Malaysia on February 1.
She faces charges under an arrest warrant for participating in a secret society, engaging in a criminal association, involvement in a transnational crime organisation, identity theft-related fraud, and money laundering, all tied to her alleged role in the 2022 romance scam.
This case, identified as Thailand’s most expensive romance scam, involved a transnational group that created a fraudulent LinkedIn profile of a US army doctor stationed in Afghanistan. This was used to deceive the chief financial officer (CFO) of a multinational company’s Thailand branch, resulting in the theft of 6.3 billion baht (approximately US$186 million) from her company.
The Thai CFO has been taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including theft. Arrest warrants have been issued for nearly 100 Thai and Nigerian nationals, and efforts to apprehend these suspects continue.
The CIB reported that Orathai admitted to being the person named in the arrest warrant when confronted by police. She claimed that her Nigerian partner persuaded her to open bank accounts in Thailand, citing his inability to do so due to his foreign nationality.
These accounts were purportedly intended for establishing a business in Thailand.
Orathai opened several accounts and allowed her partner to manage all related deposits and withdrawals. Investigators uncovered financial connections between her bank accounts and the companies involved in fraudulent transfers, leading to her arrest warrant.
Orathai relocated to Malaysia in 2017 to work in a massage parlour, where she met and fell in love with a Nigerian man, reported Bangkok Post.
“After living with him for two years, during which he covered all expenses so I wouldn’t have to work, he asked me to open bank accounts for him as he wanted to start a business in Thailand.
“He paid me 6,500 baht (US$190) for each account. I later learnt that my accounts were used to handle money from defrauded people.”
The arrest occurred after police received a tip-off about Orathai’s planned visit to Thailand to meet her child.
Latest Thailand News
