Australian farmer files B15m fraud charge against Thai fiance

SONGKHLA: -- An angry Australian man took a direct flight to Thailand to file charges against his former Thai girlfriend, accusing her of defrauding him of more than B15 million (US$500,000), police said.

Pol Lt Col Surapong Kittithirangura, deputy chief of Hat Yai police station, said Malcolm McCurley, a 43-year-old onion farmer from Australia, came with his lawyer and interpreter to the station on Tuesday to take legal action against Boontip Choochuay, 29.

Mr McCurley told police that Ms Boontip worked for him at his farm in 2009.She was diligent and had a friendly personality, he fell in love with her and they planned to get married.

According to his statement, the woman later returned to Songkhla and then tricked him into opening a company, offering summer courses in Australia to Thai students. The company was called Student Link and was based in Songkhla's Hat Yai district.

The plantiff said Ms Boontip, who was the only person in charge of Student Link, asked him to transfer about 12 million baht to her bank account between Sept 16, 2009 and Nov 26, 2012. She told him that the money would be used to cover the company's operating expenses.

At the end of last year Ms Boontip called him, asking him to come to Thailand and meet her parents so they could then get engaged. She asked him to pay a bride price of B2,999,999 and he accepted. After their engagement, he returned to Australia alone.

The Australian said he later learned that Ms Boontip was conning him. She had begun distancing herself from him since the beginning of this year. She did not answer his phone calls and when he returned to Songkhla she refused to see him.

He also sent his lawyer to check on Student Link and found out that the company had been closed late last year. Another company under Ms Boontip's name was then set up to smuggle Thai workers to Australia posing as tourists or exchange students, he added.

"What hurts me the most is to know that Ms Boontip, the woman I loved and planned to spend my life with, deceived me into getting engaged to her, and that I completely believed her,” Mr McCurley told police.

He said he also discovered that his former fiancé used his money to buy a house and a car and that she had used similar schemes to fool other foreign men.

“I decided to fly straight from Australia with all the evidence, documents, financial transactions and photos of Ms Boontip and myself to take legal action against Ms Boontip,” he said.

He said an Australian television programme planned to do a news story on him as a warning to foreign men ‘not to fall victim to Thai women’.

Pol Lt Col Surapong said police had filed embezzlement and fraud charges against Ms Boontip. If she failed to answer the summons three times, she would be arrested.


-- Phuket News 2013-06-05

Oh, if only he had been a ThaiVisa reader he might have avoided it all!

I have one in Phayao they can go arrest too... can we join a sad ripped off old man' club?

If she failed to answer the summons three times, she would be arrested.

...got to love the Thai legal system, anywhere else in the world if a summons is issued and you dont answer it there is an arrest warrant out for you the first time around

If she failed to answer the summons three times, she would be arrested.

...got to love the Thai legal system, anywhere else in the world if a summons is issued and you dont answer it there is an arrest warrant out for you the first time around

BUT, perhaps she paid off the first two/three thingy's. .................... .

around half a million USD.

im impressed

around half a million USD.

im impressed

So is her extended family.

Then again, he was fool enough to outlay all that money ......

around half a million USD.

im impressed

So is her extended family.

She has had experience, allegedly...

.....and that she had used similar schemes to fool other foreign men.

Stupid is as stupid does Forrest...

Som nam na

if he is successful , i can see about 40,000 other claims coming in !

Solid Effort, Congrats Ms Boontip

I know a ''converted lady boy'' who now owns 3 houses from three farangs, how ?. . TRUE.

Interesting. When I give Thai women money, I expect them to leave.

I think I need to get into Australian onion farming.

I think I need to get into Australian onion farming.

Your a lady. ?................................

Right, add her name to the Thai Visa blacklisted women list.

It's quite extensive isn't it!

I think I need to get into Australian onion farming.

Your a lady. ?................................

Farming, not the farmer

You reap what you sow comes to mind

I think I need to get into Australian onion farming.

in this case it was her that was the dirty onion.

I have one in Phayao they can go arrest too... can we join a sad ripped off old man' club?

Maybe you can all get together and file a class action.

Picking and sorting onions may on the face of it seem like a low-paid job but there are opportunities in places most of us didn't even imagine if you are determined and focused enough.

Good luck to him, I hope he gets his money back, or at least some of it, well maybe a little. Seriously, with an Australian news network getting involved it may also garner interest in other countries, I wonder what TAT will do to counter the bad press over this one, and all the other accounts that will surely come to light as a result of the international media coverage.

Then again, he was fool enough to outlay all that money ......

Once ago young man who does not pay for sex He was going to get married.

But not around so very easy to fool

For sure we will start to have reports from Chalerm, Nuttabutter, Justaporn, and Nong Poo complaining about Onion Farmers harming the reputation of Thailand and that Australian onions will be banned henceforth.... they don't get that it was a Thai harming the reputation of Thailand for ripping people off willy-nilly... no willy pun intended... or maybe just a little..

So, 12 million for operating expenses, 2.99 million for sin sot, both valid draws. No scam here, nothing was for the sick buffalo.

This is nealy as good as Yesterdays story what will we publish tomorrow.

Onions? Crying? Why is this news?

Picking and sorting onions may on the face of it seem like a low-paid job but there are opportunities in places most of us didn't even imagine if you are determined and focused enough.

They put on a great act Saying I am different and Farang believe them