Thai woman doesn’t fall for romance scam

A man posing as a wealthy English pilot tried to flirt his way into getting 24,000 baht transferred into his account. Luckily the Thai woman he was trying to romance wasn’t buying it.

Police say the “English pilot” is a common romance scam, stealing hearts and money from plenty of gullible Thai women. The romancer (aka. scammer) and the woman met on social media. By day 4 of chatting online, the man said he wanted to meet the woman in person, and possibly even marry her.

He told her he wanted to send her gifts, and she gave him her address in Udon Thani. He told her to call a number to set up the delivery, and when she called, the posed delivery driver said she would need to pay 24,000 baht for the service. She cottoned on to the scam and blocked him on social media.

Australian-based Scam Watch says dating and romance scams start online and express strong emotions in a short period of time. They say never to send money to someone you haven’t met in person.

“Dating and romance scams often take place through online dating websites, but scammers may also use social media or email to make contact. They have even been known to telephone their victims as a first introduction. These scams are also known as ‘catfishing’.”

SOURCES: Nation Thailand | Scam Watch