French man 'scammed' of 276,000 Baht by Thai bride

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French Man 'Scammed' Of 276,000 Baht By Thai Bride


Photo: KHAOSOD English

UDON THANI: -- A French architect told police he had been duped by a Thai woman who promised to marry him and cheated him of 276,000 baht worth of dowry only to turn him away after the wedding ceremony.

Mr. Michel Sebald, 60, visited the police in Udon Thani with his interpreter to file charge against Ms. Pitchayanun Hirunthongwichean, a Thai woman whom he said he met in an online dating site.

The Frenchman told police via his interpreter that he worked as an architect in France, earning around 400,000 baht per month. Divorced some time ago, he reportedly browsed through an online dating site in December 2012 and met Ms. Pitchayanun.

According to Mr. Michel, Ms. Pitchayanun told him she works as assistant to court attorney and prefers foreign men, especially French men, to Thai men. He said he "fell in love" with Ms. Pitchayanun because of her politeness, manner, and beauty. He eventually asked her to marry after 4 months of correspondence.

Once she agreed, Mr. Michel said, he wired her 20,000 baht to buy plane ticket to France, but Ms. Pitchayanun told him he had to attend traditional wedding ceremony in Thailand. On 5 March this year, he arrived at Nong Gung Tub Ma village in Udon Thani - reportedly where Ms. Pitchayanun lived - and entered the wedding ceremony attended by hundreds of guests, Mr. Michel said.

He told police he spent 276,000 baht in dowry gifts for the woman, including engagement ring, gold, iPad, and iPhone. He said he also bought a brand-name bag worth of 50,000 baht as a surprise gift to Ms. Pitchayanun. After the ceremony, Mr. Michel said, he and Ms. Pitchayanun spent 2 nights at a hotel in the province′s town center.

Full story: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNM01qWTFOVGt5TXc9PQ==

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-07-01

[Ianatlarge]

Only 276k?! Shoot, I have had gfs worse than that—and friends in ozi, with the ozi wives!!! (house, car, dog...). But seriously, that sux. Good luck with the cops. Next time try before you buy.

[pedro01]

Only 276k?! Shoot, I have had gfs worse than that—and friends in ozi, with the ozi wives!!! (house, car, dog...). But seriously, that sux. Good luck with the cops. Next time try before you buy.

Has to be said, my thoughts too were that he learnt the lesson with relatively little pain.

Let's hope he's not a repeat offender.

[Gsxrnz]

The only descriptive word I can think of for the bloke is.......muppet.

Edit: I forgot he was French - I think it translates as Muppette

Edited July 1, 2013 by Gsxrnz

[CrisRMenumate]

Its a standard scam and plenty of them doing it. Some are willing to go the whole hog and actually go through the wedding to get even more out of their marks till they used them all up then go look for the next one. Buyer beware/Caveat Emptor!!! she mustn't be too cluey, she could've got much more out of him if she was as switched on as others in her field, she might need further training, suggest she contact my ex...

[Donnie Brasco]

The Thai fiancee scam is a variation on a con called "the big store".

The rope (Thai "good girl" with a slightly better line than just "I no like Thai man")

The play (One of these village wedding dog-and-pony shows "Thai culture")

The sting (I'm not ready)

[Stjohnm]

What he doesn't realise is the Policeman is her Uncle & this case will remain "Unsolved"

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[arthurwait]

Get Dangermouse on the case Penfold.

[Totster]

I think it's worth adding the last 2 paragraphs of the story to this thread...

Recently, Udon Thani also received report concerning another alleged online dating scam. Ms. Ratri Bhodiraj, 39, visited the police on 20 June and told them she was scammed by an American individual she met in online dating site.

According to Ms. Ratri, an American with the name Mr. Jason Smith who lives in California told her he wanted to marry her but she had to wire him 90,200 baht for procedure fee, which she did. The wedding never took place, Ms. Ratri said.

totster

[Gsxrnz]

I don't actually see how he was scammed. She promised to marry him, and she did. OK - only a country wedding, but a wedding and ceremony nonetheless. He promised to give her gifts and money, and he did.

Surely now it's purely a marital disagreement over sex (or lack thereof)?

Both parties fulfilled their obligations - he's even got wedding photos to prove it. Assuming she used her correct name and didn't hide behind a false identity, all seems fine to me. Just another dense Falang that was too eager to put his hand in his wallet without doing due diligence.

[JeezeLooeze]

With an income of 400,000B/mth it will only take him about 3 weeks to recoup that money. He got off lightly. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool (to a few) than to speak out (all over the media) and remove all doubt.

[OmegaRacer]

He earns 400.000 a month, so that's about 3 weeks wage for him. That's a very small price for such an important lesson in life. You're not quite right in your head if you think you fall in love with someone over the internet and propose to her in just a few months.

Get over it and spare yourself the embarrassment of all of us laughing at you. No sympathy from me...

[Billy The Kid]

276,000 bt is not a lot comparedt to his 400,000 bt a month salary. Hard to believe the French getting 400,000 a month at the time of EU recessions. If i was getting 400,000 bt a month, i would be cutting the loss and move on to something anew. "Short time only for me" .. The safest way to save money and stress.

[CrisRMenumate]

I think it's worth adding the last 2 paragraphs of the story to this thread...

Recently, Udon Thani also received report concerning another alleged online dating scam. Ms. Ratri Bhodiraj, 39, visited the police on 20 June and told them she was scammed by an American individual she met in online dating site.

According to Ms. Ratri, an American with the name Mr. Jason Smith who lives in California told her he wanted to marry her but she had to wire him 90,200 baht for procedure fee, which she did. The wedding never took place, Ms. Ratri said.

totster

Yes was interesting that the Khao Sod story was happy to show a tit-for-tat comparison - are we to gain inference that Farang do it to Thai so its ok for Thai to do it? its criminal fraud either way dudes... 2 wrongs done't make it right on either side.

[sunflowerhx]

I have to say this doesn't sound like a typical scam case.

She simply changed her mind after meeting him in person and decided to bail out.

I mean she could have taken him for the full ride - land, house etc.

But another typical story about a stupid older farang & a young Thai woman. I implore Lonely Planet to put warnings in their travel guides!!!

I love his quote. Every time we read about these stories, the farang always complain that he was conned.

But has any of them ever admitted that they were stupid in the first place??

Mr. Michel told our correspondent he sought help from police because he did not want other foreign men to be duped like him.

[briboy]

hmmmmmm, no naughty maybe she is a he...........

[Donnie Brasco]

276,000 bt is not a lot comparedt to his 400,000 bt a month salary. Hard to believe the French getting 400,000 a month at the time of EU recessions. If i was getting 400,000 bt a month, i would be cutting the loss and move on to something anew. "Short time only for me" .. The safest way to save money and stress.

Well, maybe.

There's a whole range of crap they can pull in the hong short.

Taking calls

Making calls

Period

Jaep mak mak you do big.

Why you not finish ?

Why you so fat?

I no want.

I no like.

Boo hoo

Separate showers

Emerge from shower with full body towel wrap and shower cap

"No smoking"

Smoking only with condom

Stealing

Starfish

Jack up the price by 500 to cool your jets

Chippie checks the condom and gets you into a stimulating "you finish already" argument

"I finish already"

And more and more these days poor hygiene.

And so on and so on

Anything but the clear clean deliveries of the pre-short time era.

If you know when to cut your losses you are out 1500 for drinks, bar fine and hong-short rent.

Always tell the girl's mamasan (what a joke THAT concept is here)

It's no fun being scammed.

But yeah, cheaper than what this poor Guy went through.

[Billy The Kid]

276,000 bt is not a lot comparedt to his 400,000 bt a month salary. Hard to believe the French getting 400,000 a month at the time of EU recessions. If i was getting 400,000 bt a month, i would be cutting the loss and move on to something anew. "Short time only for me" .. The safest way to save money and stress.

Well, maybe.

There's a whole range of crap they can pull in the hong short.

Taking calls

Making calls

Period

Jaep mak mak you do big.

Why you not finish ?

Why you so fat?

I no want.

I no like.

Boo hoo

Separate showers

Emerge from shower with full body towel wrap and shower cap

"No smoking"

Smoking only with condom

Stealing

Starfish

Jack up the price by 500 to cool your jets

Chippie checks the condom and gets you into a stimulating "you finish already" argument

"I finish already"

And more and more these days poor hygiene.

And so on and so on

Anything but the clear clean deliveries of the pre-short time era.

If you know when to cut your losses you are out 1500 for drinks, bar fine and hong-short rent.

Always tell the girl's mamasan (what a joke THAT concept is here)

It's no fun being scammed.

But yeah, cheaper than what this poor Guy went through.

I finish already... lol, I hear that everytime at soi 6.

[DreamRider]

There is NO scam here as Gsxrnz posted above. SHe said " Give me .. please" and he said "Yes, of course".

Good luck to her

[richard_smith237]

Miss looks more like a Mr....

[joeaverage]

276,000 bt is not a lot comparedt to his 400,000 bt a month salary. Hard to believe the French getting 400,000 a month at the time of EU recessions. If i was getting 400,000 bt a month, i would be cutting the loss and move on to something anew. "Short time only for me" .. The safest way to save money and stress.

works 3 months a year

[rgs2001uk]

Miss looks more like a Mr....

Looks like she used a photo of Michael Jackson.

[daboyz1]

He's lucky they didn't find him on the street 15 stories below his honeymoon suite hotel balcony in Pattaya, after he committed "suicide." Go back to France and chalk it up to a (expensive) lesson learned.

Edited July 1, 2013 by daboyz1

[mrtoad]

What's his Thai Visa name?

This guy clearly dos not have the skills to live in Thailand.

[lee b]

he was lucky that he only lost that ammount

[khunPer]

276k is a cheap lesson – especially when you make 400k/m – others have paid a lot more

[alfalfa19]

He got off very easy. He didn't even have to buy a house for her and her pimp/husband/bf.

[swissie]

In the old days it was sufficient to claim "Buffalo sick". These days it doesn't wash anymore.

Can you blame them, if they come up with more sophisticated scams. (Most of them are equipped with a fantastic weapon, called an i-phone.)

Cheers.

[stoffel45]

The "Groom" is not related to President Holland is he?

[malcolminthemiddle]

Maybe she just changed her mind?