Thai dating coach scores own goal after using famous German footballer photos to swindle clients
Several Thai women accused a Thai dating coach of using pictures of renowned German footballers to swindle money from them. The accused, Coach P’Lek, admitted using the pictures of former German footballers Michael Ballack and Philipp Lahm but denied deceiving the victims, saying it was just her marketing strategy.
The victims’ representative, 43 year old Or, came forward to share her experience of using the dating service on the Facebook page, Online Matchmaker (แม่สื่อออนไลน์). She said she paid nearly 40,000 baht to the site’s administrator, Coach P’Lek, to find a relationship with a foreign man as promised and advertised but has yet to meet anyone.
Or added that a number of Thai women had fallen victim to the fraudulent dating service and some had lost more than 100,000 baht.
A popular news programme on Channel 3, Hon Krasae, invited Or and two other two victims to be interviewed. Or recounted her experience to several media outlets yesterday. Or added that she sought foreign partners for a better chance in life and did not want to trick foreigners for money.
Another victim named Bow revealed in the interview that she chose the dating service because she preferred foreign men but was too shy to approach them herself. Bow said she trusted Coach P’Lek because she had a foreign husband and was active on social media.
Bow revealed that Coach P’Lek invited her and other women to a party to give herself more confidence. One day, Coach P’Lek sent Bow a picture of a foreign man and said he was interested in her. Bow did not believe the information because the foreign man looked too handsome to be on a dating platform.
Coach P’Lek claimed that the foreign man was a 48 year old English businessman called Philip. However, the picture Coach P’Lek used turned out to be German footballer Philip Lahm, who is in actual fact only 39.
Another victim, Jane, said that Coach P’Lek also sent her a picture of a foreign man. Coach P’Lek claimed that the man was a 43 year old American real estate entrepreneur named Kevin. However, the man in the picture was actually another German footballer, Michael Ballack, who is 46 years old.
Coach P’Lek later revealed to Channel 3 that she never deceived any clients. She initially stated that she could not remember whether or not she had sent pictures of Lahm and Ballack to her clients. However, she later claimed that the use of pictures was just a marketing strategy and that she believed other dating services were doing the same.
Coach P’Lek told Channel 3 that she was now collecting her successful cases to prove her business. She added that many clients had successfully married foreign men.
ORIGINAL STORY: Thai women’s pursuit of love leads to legal battle against Facebook dating service scam
Seven Thai women seeking rich, high-profile foreign husbands reached out to a renowned Thai lawyer, Deacha Kittiwittayanan, after falling victim to a dating service scam on Facebook. A 43 year old woman named Or is representing the victims.
Or revealed that she is a single mother who had to take care of her child and her mother. She earns 55,000 baht a month working for a private company operating over 48,000 square metres of rubber plantations.
Or said she could not earn enough to cover all her expenses, so she decided to look for a wealthy foreign husband because she wanted to work abroad. She came across a dating service on Facebook called Online Matchmaker (แม่สื่อออนไลน์), which appeared trustworthy due to its followers of 100,000 users.
Or added that the page’s administrator, who called herself Coach P’Lek, presented herself as a specialist in procuring foreign husbands. She always streamed live videos where she talked to her followers and advised them on how to secure foreign partners.
Or disclosed that she had initiated contact with Coach P’Lek through Facebook Messenger and paid a membership fee of 7,000 baht. Coach P’Lek then created a profile with her personal information and requested her to select the packages she wanted.
The first package (30,000 baht) offers ordinary foreigners with standard incomes, the second package (50,000 baht) offers foreigners with specific professions such as engineers and doctors, and the third package (100,000 baht) offers rich and high-profile foreigners such as farm owners or businessmen.
Or said she chose the first package and waited for updates for about three to four months with no progress. Or decided to ask Coach P’Lek about her status, but Coach P’Lek refused to speak to her and later complained about her appearances on live streaming video.
According to Or, Coach P’Lek said Or did not match with any foreigners because she was ugly. Coach P’Lek then urged Or to act like her to attract the attention of foreigners.
Or went on to reveal that more women reached out to her and shared similar experiences. Each victim lost nearly 40,000 baht to Coach P’Lek, with some victims paying over 100,000 baht for the exclusive package. Or said that Coach P’Lek continues to operate her deceptive dating Facebook page and gaining more and more clients.
Channel 3 reported that they contacted Coach P’Lek for an interview about the matter, but Coach P’Lek refused to give any details. Coach P’Lek posted an update on Facebook yesterday.
“I will be streaming a video at 10am to thank over 100 clients who believe in me. Do not worry followers. Let’s leave the case to my legal representatives. The truth is always the truth.”
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