Thai man weaves crooked web to swindle 25 million baht from wife

A Thai woman is seeking justice after her ex-husband swindled about 25 million baht from her and her family and tricked her into signing divorce papers so he could marry another woman.

The victim, Fah, sought help from a well-known Thai lawyer, Nitithorn “James” Kaewto, after she and her family lost a significant amount of money to her ex-husband. Fah lost about 2.5 million baht, her sister Su lost 12 million baht, and her older sister-in-law lost 11 million baht.

Fah was married to her ex-husband for over 17 years and they had two children together. The couple lived separately due to their jobs. Her husband worked in Bangkok while Fah managed a durian plantation in Nakhon Ratchasima province in Isaan.

Fah discovered her husband’s affair two weeks ago and learned that he had married another woman in 2016 while they were still together. The husband had been living a double life without making any of his ex-wife’s family suspicious.

In 2017, the husband convinced Fah to divorce him under the pretence of starting a construction company, claiming it would protect Fah and their children from potential legal issues. Trusting him, Fah agreed to the divorce even though she was pregnant with their second daughter at the time.

The husband’s deceitful tactics extended to convincing Fah to leave their Bangkok home, claiming it was unsafe due to his conflict with a powerful person. In reality, he wanted to bring his new wife to live there.

Durian export scam

The ex-husband also forbade Fah from posting pictures of him or them together on social media for safety reasons but it was to hide Fah and their children from his new wife.

Fah’s ex-husband began defrauding her by claiming that he wanted to run a company for durian export with Fah. Fah, her younger sister, and her older sister-in-law invested 25 million baht in this company, believing they were partners in the business.

However, the company was exclusively owned by the husband and his new wife. As soon as Fah discovered the truth, her husband disappeared and blocked all of her contact channels.

Fah is demanding that her ex-husband return their money and consider the well-being of their children. She is prepared to take legal action against him if he refuses to return the money. Fah admitted that she still loves her ex but does not want him to return to the family.

The lawyer, James, stated that the man’s criminal action was complex. He not only lured Fah and her family members to transfer money to him in a gratuitous act as reported in other cases but he created a counterfeit document to deceive victims into investing in his company.

The complexity of the scheme suggests that someone with legal knowledge may have been involved. Channel 3 reported that the father of the husband’s new wife is a police officer, according to a document found in their possession.