Thai woman scammed out of 440,000 baht by Filipino boyfriend
A Thai woman sought assistance from a non-profit organisation for her Filipino boyfriend, who claimed he was tortured by Thai police, only to later discover that he was a scammer who swindled her out of 440,000 baht.
The 61 year old Thai woman, Nathathai, reached out to non-profit organisation Saimai Survive, reporting that her 58 year old Filipino boyfriend, Mark, was in urgent need of help. Nathathai alleged that senior Thai police officers mistreated Mark by forcing him to work hard in an orchard and attacking him with a taser.
Nathathai explained to the organisation that she met Mark on Facebook and began a long-distance relationship with him. In November last year, Mark claimed to have sent her US$25,000 in cash, diamond jewellery, and luxury watches via a parcel.
When the parcel arrived in Thailand, officials from ThaiPost reportedly requested Nathathai to pay 10,000 baht to release it. She paid 7,000 baht, and Mark contributed 3,000 baht.
However, the parcel was flagged as suspicious and held by the Customs Department. Nathathai was asked to pay a total of 40,000 baht, which she did, but she was still unable to retrieve the parcel.
To resolve the issue, Mark travelled to Thailand to meet Nathathai. Unexpectedly, he was arrested upon arrival and detained by Thai police. The officers allegedly demanded 2,000 baht from Nathathai for Mark’s release, which she paid.
The demands for money continued, with Nathathai paying 500 baht per day. She eventually stopped making payments as she had accumulated significant debt, borrowing money from her relatives.
When Nathathai was unable to pay further, she claimed that the police began torturing Mark. Unable to help him any longer, she sought assistance from Saimai Survive.
The organisation’s founder, Ekkaphop Lueangprasert, immediately recognised that Mark was a romance scammer and that no torture took place. Nathathai was initially unconvinced, believing that Mark was genuinely in trouble.
After further explanation, Nathathai reluctantly accepted the truth. Ekkaphop accompanied her to file a complaint with the police and promised to work with them to suspend the bank accounts to which Nathathai transferred her money, in the hope of recovering her losses.
Latest Thailand News
