A 52-year-old Thai woman, Orathai (surname withheld), was arrested at Hat Yai International Airport on Saturday on charges of aiding and laundering money for a Nigerian romance scam gang, according to the police. The arrest took place at 3:25 PM as she arrived from Malaysia.
Orathai was wanted after a warrant was issued in May 2020 for her involvement with a transnational criminal syndicate, money laundering, and aiding unlawful operations. After the warrant, Orathai fled to Malaysia for work, but authorities continued to monitor her return to Thailand.
She explained to the police that her visit was meant to see her children. However, the investigation revealed that Orathai’s bank accounts had been used to receive a staggering 6.223 billion baht from a romance scam victim.
The victim, identified only as Chamanan (surname withheld), a former financial manager, was contacted by a member of the scam gang posing as an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan. After gaining Chamanan’s trust and affection, the scammer deceived her into stealing 6.223 billion baht from her company’s account and transferring the funds to Orathai’s accounts.
Orathai claimed she was unaware of the full scope of the operation, stating that she had been tricked into opening the accounts by a Nigerian man she met in Malaysia. She said the man, an Algerian working in a massage shop in 2017, convinced her to allow him access to open bank accounts for his “business.” In return, she was paid 6,500 baht for each account, and the man had full control over withdrawals and transfers.
