Thai man loses 372,000 baht to nursing student in scam wedding
A 59 year old Thai man accused a 23 year old nursing student of running a love scam after he gave her 370,000 baht in dowry but no wedding was held.
Thanakrit, the 59 year old owner of a tutoring institute, turned to non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after failing to get his money back from his 23 year old girlfriend, Fon. He reported the romance scam to Tungkhru Police Station but the case did not progress, leaving him desperate.
Thanakrit explained that he met Fon on a dating application in December of last year. Fon introduced herself as a junior nursing student. They communicated online until Fon confessed her love for him on Valentine’s Day this year.
They arranged a meeting in person and began a romantic relationship. After that, Fon visited him frequently at his home, and they travelled together across various provinces in Thailand, enjoying a happy relationship. He covered all expenses and even bought Fon a new mobile phone.
Thanakrit said he was asked to host the wedding after meeting Fon’s family in the Isaan province of Surin on April 29. Her family questioned him about whether the couple had engaged in sexual intercourse and Fon admitted they had.
Following conservative traditions, Fon’s family insisted that he host the wedding, and the ceremony was scheduled for July 14. The family requested a 500,000 baht dowry from Thanakrit, which he agreed to pay. Fon asked him to transfer 372,000 baht to her first, with the remaining 128,000 baht to be paid on their wedding day.
Sexy dress and online affair
Thanakrit agreed to make the advance payment but noticed that the account Fon instructed him to transfer the money to belonged to her nursing institute’s official bank account.
As the couple eagerly anticipated their forthcoming wedding, Fon moved in with Thanakrit at his residence in Bangkok.
Together, they busied themselves with preparations, even going so far as to rent a wedding dress. However, despite their efforts and aspirations, their plans never materialised.
Thanakrit said he became unimpressed with Fon’s habit of wearing revealing clothes and also caught her chatting with other men on social media. He decided to confront her family, which led to the cancellation of the wedding due to Fon’s anger.
Thanakrit demanded the return of his money but the woman refused. She suggested he contact the nursing institute directly if he wanted his money back. Thanakrit later learned that Fon tricked him into transferring the dowry to the institute to pay for her tuition fees.
Thanakrit contacted the institute in hopes of retrieving his money but was unsuccessful. The institute advised him to resolve the matter with his ex-girlfriend. He reached out to the police but received no progress, so he turned to Saimai Survive.
As of now, the accused nursing student has not come forward to clarify the matter.
