Nonthaburi/Central Thailand –
Police have dismantled a large romance-scam operation in the Muang Thong Thani area of Nonthaburi province, arresting 13 foreign nationals during a joint operation by the Immigration Bureau and Pak Kret Provincial Police. Several suspects attempted to flee a condominium barefoot during the raid but were captured by officers stationed around the building.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a Thai woman in Nong Khai, who reported being defrauded by individuals posing as a Chinese engineer through social media platforms. After building an online romantic relationship, the suspects persuaded her to transfer money four times, resulting in losses of more than 2 million baht. Financial tracing later linked the transactions to mule accounts connected to a wider criminal network.
Investigators found that the group operated as a structured foreign gang, largely made up of African nationals, with clearly defined roles such as online scammers, cash handlers, and recruiters of mule accounts. Intelligence led police to a condominium in Pak Kret believed to be the group’s main base, prompting the coordinated operation on January 19.
Authorities arrested 11 Nigerian nationals and two citizens of Côte d’Ivoire. Eight were overstaying their visas, while five Nigerians had no legal record of entry into Thailand and were admitted to entering through the Lao border. Police seized 34 electronic devices, including computers and mobile phones, many of which contained active scam messages and internal chats used to coordinate activities and warn one another during the raid.
Police said the suspects posed as wealthy foreign nationals to deceive victims into transferring money. Some lived with Thai partners and persuaded them to allow their bank accounts to be used to receive or withdraw funds, which were later converted into cryptocurrency and sent overseas. Investigations are ongoing to identify additional suspects and dismantle the broader network.
The preceding is a press release from the Thai Government PR Department.
