Turkish man loses nearly 100,000 baht to Thai woman he met on dating app

A Turkish man sought assistance from Mueang Pattaya Police Station officers after losing nearly 100,000 baht to a Thai woman he met on a dating app.

The 50 year old victim, Ruhan Topal, told officers the theft occurred at a hotel in Pattaya last night, November 19. He spoke to a Thai woman who claimed to be from Phuket province through a dating app. After talking for three days, Ruhan said he decided to invite her to meet him in Pattaya.

According to Ruhan, he and the woman went out together in Pattaya and drank at some nightclubs before going back to his hotel room. He excused himself to take a shower and later came out to find that the Thai woman had disappeared.

The woman did not leave empty-handed. She stole US$2,100 in cash (74,000 baht), in cash along with his iPhone 14 pro, valued at 35,000 baht.

Officers said they would check the hotel’s security cameras to identify the thief. They believe the woman was a Pattaya resident and remained in the area after the theft.

This unfortunate incident is not an isolated one. The world of online dating has occasionally shown its dark side.

Two weeks ago, a crime was reported as a result of a date arranged through a dating app. An American woman was sexually assaulted by a man named Tienming Ho, whose identity was not revealed.

The victim said she met the man through a dating app and arranged a face-to-face meeting at her apartment in Bangkok. They agreed not to have sexual intercourse but the suspect sexually assaulted her against her will.

Another Thai man reportedly fell victim to an online dating scam last week after losing his motorcycle to a woman he met through a dating application.

The victim said the woman looked nothing like her profile picture, but he gave her a chance, only to find that she had disappeared with his motorcycle the next morning.