Romance scam leaves Thai woman in debt while fake lover lives luxurious
A Thai woman lost around 800,000 baht to a man she met on a dating application, only to later discover that he married another woman and was living a luxurious lifestyle.
The victim, identified only as Ploy, travelled from Khon Kaen to Nonthaburi to seek legal assistance from lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet in Bangkok after realising she was deceived.
Ploy explained that she met the man through a dating application before continuing their conversations on Facebook. After around four months of online dating, the pair arranged to meet in person on December 28 last year, and the relationship initially appeared to develop well.
According to Ploy, the man frequently expressed love for her and even promised marriage, leading her to trust him deeply. Soon after, he began asking for money, claiming he was in debt to loan sharks and feared he would be physically assaulted or killed if he failed to repay them.
He later asked for more money, telling Ploy that he had pawned his motorcycle and needed cash to retrieve it so he could continue travelling to work. Feeling sympathy for his situation, she transferred the requested amount.
The requests did not stop there. Ploy said the man later claimed he had pawned his house and a plot of land and was on the verge of losing the property.
The sums he asked for increased significantly, prompting Ploy to borrow money from her father and relatives and even take out a bank loan. In total, she transferred around 800,000 baht to the man.
Her world collapsed when she later came across Facebook posts showing the man marrying another woman. Ploy said she also discovered that he was living in a large house and driving an expensive car, enjoying a comfortable life while she was left burdened with debt.
Expressing her heartbreak, Ploy said the experience taught her that “there is no true love on dating applications”, and she urged other women using or considering dating apps to remain vigilant and beware of romance scams.
Lawyer Ronnarong said he would assist Ploy by examining all financial transactions and evidence to determine possible legal action against the accused man. He also warned the public that romance scam cases are often complex and that bringing perpetrators to justice can be difficult.
