Thai businessman loses millions to virtual love affair

[webfact]

Photo via ThaiRath

 

A Thai businessman lost around 4 million baht to a woman he met through an online game and dated online for more than five years.

 

The victim, 40 year old A, sought help from non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after discovering that the woman he had been dating online for five years cheated him out of around 4 million baht by using a fake identity.

 

A explained that he met the scammer, called Aey, through an online game and they started playing the game together more and more. He then asked Aey for her contact details and continued to talk to her on the LINE application. Their relationship developed and Aey often told A about her financial problems via chat and phone.

Aey stated that her family required funds for medical treatment, as well as for the renovation of her house in Chon Buri, among other expenses. Each time she requested money, A provided it to her, often giving her more than she asked for.

Aey expressed her desire to establish a car parts shop despite lacking expertise in cars or business management but A supported her by investing in the business and overseeing its operations on her behalf. He did not retain any profits for himself, instead, A handed them all over to his girlfriend.

 

According to A, he never had the opportunity to meet Aey in person or engage in a video conference with her. Aey consistently avoided face-to-face encounters and only shared pictures of herself. In these images, Aey appeared beautiful and alluring, which deepened my affection for her.

 

Romance scam

 

A saw that Aey had some profits from her business, so he asked Aey to pay back the money that she borrowed. Aey said she did not have enough money to pay back but would sell her house to cover the debt. Aey then disappeared without a trace.

 

Worried about her welfare, A decided to go to her house in Chon Buri. A followed the address given by Aey a long time ago until he arrived at the house but she was not there. He met with his girlfriend’s sister and realised that he had fallen victim to a romance scam.

 

Aey’s real name is Nick and she looks nothing like the pictures she sent him. Nick’s sister promised to contact him to settle the debt but A has not heard from either Nick or her sister since.

 

The founder of Saimai Survive, Ekkaphop Lueangprasert, urged Nick to contact the organisation or A to agree on the repayment of the debt. If not, A would report the matter to the police. Ekkaphop suggested the woman whose Nick took her pictures to deceive A should also file a police report.

 

by Petch Petpailin

Photo via ThaiRath

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-05

 

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[AlexRich]

A fool and their money are easily parted. 
 

I went to my local bank recently in order to make a payment of a few thousand GBP to a third party. I had to jump through numerous hoops and answer endless questions because they wanted to ensure that I hadn’t been scammed. 
 

At the end of it all I asked the guy at the bank how often someone comes in and is actually being scammed? His reply was “every day” and it was mostly “romance scams”. So this story is not that unusual.
 

 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

A Thai businessman lost around 4 million baht to a woman he met through an online game and dated online for more than five years.

 

The victim, 40 year old A, sought help from non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after discovering that the woman he had been dating online for five years cheated him out of around 4 million baht by using a fake identity.

Not much of a business man....

[BayArea]

A businessman?? Please he's more like the village idiot. 

[Bangkok Barry]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the woman he had been dating online for five years

 

You do not 'date' someone on-line.

And you do not send 4 million to someone you've never properly met, if ever.

[JoePai]

59 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

You do not 'date' someone on-line.

And you do not send 4 million to someone you've never properly met, if ever.

He did !

[spidermike007]

According to A, he never had the opportunity to meet Aey in person or engage in a video conference with her. Aey consistently avoided face-to-face encounters and only shared pictures of herself. In these images, Aey appeared beautiful and alluring, which deepened my affection for her.

 

First is all, the biggest variable when you meet someone online, is whether or not you will like them once you see them. Do you find them attractive? Do they find you appealing? Is there any chemistry? Is she emotionally developed, or a stunted, emotional retard? There is no shortage of women that fit that category here. Would you want to be with her any longer than an hour, once you meet her? If not, what do you do once you have made this rather grand and rather silly commitment of your time? Let it unfold in a rather organic fashion. There is nothing natural about meeting anyone online, and you know virtually nothing about them, until you have spent some real time together. Months, even years. For some of us, who are not millennials, the whole concept of striking up a relationship online, then chatting and spending dozens or hundreds of hours getting to know someone online, and texting to death, without ever meeting them, just reeks of desperation, and isolation. The few times I ever engaged in online dating, my rule was two emails or chats, then a Skype type video call, then an actual meeting of 20 minutes for a cup of coffee. Lets see where it goes from there. You do not want to meet so quickly? OK. Find another pen pal please. Homey don't play that game. 

I guess it comes down to self esteem. When I was doing online dating, I always limited the first encounter to 15-30 minutes, over a cup of coffee. And 90% of the time I was very glad I had followed that protocol. I also limited the number of contacts prior to that cup of coffee to three. I do not have any interest in having pen pals. And Thai women love to chat, and text, and you end up wasting alot of hours on someone you have never met, and more than likely are not going to get with once you do meet her, for a couple of dozen reasons. The numbers are not on your side, so why invest the time, once you have made the contact? What would Bond do?

 

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

You do not 'date' someone on-line.

And you do not send 4 million to someone you've never properly met, if ever.

 

20 minutes ago, JoePai said:

He did !

As do thousands of others all over the world.

[worgeordie]

Just another case of the small head out thinking the large head ,

 

 

regards worgeordie

[john donson]

thai catfish... Nigerian scammer?

[neeray]

Only a "tool" would financially back a girl, who he'd never met, in the auto parts business. 

[metisdead]

A post with nothing other than a trolling image contravening our Community Standards has been removed.

[Pouatchee]

4 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

You do not 'date' someone on-line.

And you do not send 4 million to someone you've never properly met, if ever.

 

even if its true, try telling that to all the saps. one born every 10 seconds. even back home guys (mostly] get taken in regularly.

 

watch out when AI really kicks off. some are already being had by scams that imitate a loved one's voice

[Enoon]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

You do not 'date' someone on-line.

And you do not send 4 million to someone you've never properly met, if ever.

 

You do if you are "vulnerable".

 

Games rooms are full of lonely, incel, nerds.......she chose her fishing ground well.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 3/5/2024 at 3:25 AM, webfact said:

The victim, 40 year old A, sought help from non-profit organisation Saimai Survive

 

It's interesting that this Saimai Survive organization and the activist behind it are seemingly in the news almost every day lately, representing a succession of clients who typically have gotten nowhere in trying to deal with the Thai police going thru the regular channels.

 

If memory serves, the recent cases have included alleged rape victims, victims of wrongdoing by police, victims of botched plastic surgery jobs where the police seemed unwilling to act, cases where minors have been abused, and on and on and on...

 

All Saimai Survive examples below, and often until recently consisting of the organization and the victimized party/parties presenting their plea via press conferences to Deputy National Police Chief Hakparn (aka Big Joke).

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1320341-teenage-thai-girl-accuses-tattoo-artist-of-sexual-assault/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1318564-disturbing-behaviour-of-police-officer-who-raped-minor-exposed-by-another-student/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1319421-thai-resort-owner-allegedly-drugs-attacks-rapes-party-entertainer/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1315547-top-media-influencer-claims-that-chinese-men-target-thai-women-for-love-in-what-she-calls-‘son-hunting’/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1312760-fortune-teller-tricks-thai-woman-into-sex-and-14-million-baht-loss/

 

[it is what it is]

no fool like an old fool, and he doesn't even have the excuse of being old. next.

[reefsurfah]

No more bets in real life I guess.  5 years without video or seeing her is on him.