BANGKOK — Thai police said Thursday they are seeking two foreign suspects after dismantling a transnational romance scam network that allegedly swindled a Thai single mother out of nearly $705,000 over more than two years.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it has arrested 13 suspects on charges including fraud by impersonation, document forgery, inputting false data into computer systems and money laundering. Two additional suspects — a Canadian man and a Cambodian man — remain at large, police said.
Police said the case came to light after the victim filed a complaint through the Thai police’s online reporting system with the Anti-Online Scam Center. Investigators said the woman was groomed into a romantic relationship beginning in 2023 after meeting a man on the ThaiCupid dating website. The suspect later moved the conversation to the LINE app.
Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Lt. Gen. Nattasak Chawnasit speaks during a news conference announcing the arrest of suspects linked to a romance scam network at the CIB headquarters in Bangkok on Dec. 25, 2025.According to police, the scammer claimed to be a Jordanian single father whose overseas business had failed. He later persuaded the woman to invest with him abroad, promising that if the venture succeeded he would move to Thailand to live with her.
Between January 2024 and July 2025, the woman transferred money 42 times, losing a total of 21.9 million baht, or about $704,900, police said. She reported the case after contact with the man diminished and she suspected she was being deceived.
Police said warrants were issued for 17 suspects — 14 Thais and three foreigners, including one Canadian, one Cambodian and one Swiss national. Thirteen suspects were arrested across nine provinces, while two were found already in prison on other cases. The two foreign suspects, identified by police as Mr. Yat, a Canadian national, and Mr. Kim, a Cambodian national, are still being sought.
Thai police arrest a Thai woman, a suspect in a transnational romance scam network, at a residence at an undisclosed location and time, police said.All of the arrested suspects denied the charges, police said. Some claimed they were involved only in buying and selling digital currency, while others said they had been paid by unknown individuals to open bank accounts and install mobile banking applications.
Investigators said accounts used in the network were linked to at least 19 other call-center scam cases, causing additional losses of more than 36 million baht, or about $1.16 million. Combined with the latest case, total damages exceeded 50 million baht, or roughly $1.6 million, police said.
Police warned the public against transferring money to people met online or agreeing to investment solicitations without verifying identities. Authorities also cautioned that buying or selling bank accounts or registered SIM cards is a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 500,000 baht ($16,100).
“This case shows that the length of online contact is not a reliable measure of trust,” a senior police official said. “Even relationships that last more than a year without meeting in person can hide serious dangers.
___
The post Thai Police Hunt Two More in Romance Scam, Canadian and Cambodian appeared first on Khaosod English.
No comments yet.