Romance scammer cons Thai widow out of 500k baht
A widow from Nonthaburi filed a complaint yesterday, January 12, with a justice foundation after she was allegedly deceived by a man she met on a dating app, resulting in the loss of nearly 500,000 baht in cash and valuables.
At the Foundation Campaigning to Reclaim Social Justice (CRSJ), 43 year old Manida, a lottery vendor, sought help from chairman Ronnarong Kaewpetch, presenting documents to support her claim of being defrauded by a man she had dated for over two years.
Manida recounted how she had longed for companionship following her husband’s death years earlier. In July 2023, she began using the dating app Omi, where she met a man who introduced himself as Chawalit, a 47 year old claiming to be an engineer from a prestigious university.
The two began a relationship, and according to Manida, she was the one covering all expenses during their time together. Over the course of two years, she said she provided for him financially, including allowing him access to her credit card.
In June 2024, Chawalit visited her home as usual. As she went upstairs to shower before work, he called out that he was leaving for an errand. When she came downstairs, she discovered that nine gold-encased amulets, heirlooms from her late husband, had vanished. Among them were highly valuable Buddhist amulets.
When confronted, Chawalit allegedly dismissed her concerns and promised to repay her with money, but never followed through. She later learned he was not an engineer, but in fact a flower vendor at a local market.
Manida said she filed a complaint at Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi, but the case has seen no progress, prompting her to turn to the justice foundation for help.
Ronnarong, the foundation’s chairman, stated that the situation involved theft from a private residence, a charge that carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 20,000 baht, and cannot be settled out of court.
He added that while gifts given willingly fall into a legal grey area, removing property that belonged to the victim’s deceased husband constituted a criminal offence. He also criticised the suspect for deceiving the victim by posing as a successful professional.
MGR Online reported that the foundation will assist in pushing the case forward and advised the public to remain cautious when using dating apps, warning that many similar fraud cases have been reported.
Similarly, another dating application scam occurred in Nonthaburi when a Thai man lost his motorcycle to a woman he met online. The victim explained that he and the woman had met several times after chatting on the application, but he did not plan to pursue a serious relationship with her because she looked different from her online profile.
