POLICE arrested 2 Ugandan men and a Thai woman on the charges of running a romance scam and tricking 4 Thai women into transferring over 800,000 baht to them, Thai News Agency reported today (July 5, 2018).
Police are also liaising with the Foreign Ministry to be stricter in issuing visas to Ugandans and Nigerians as many of them have been caught committing various crimes in Thailand, particularly running romance scams that have trapped many women.
Pol Maj-Gen Surachet Hakphan, deputy chief of Tourist Police, questioned Mr Rogers Kyeyune and Mr Emmanuel Kasoma, both from Uganda, as well as Miss Wilaiwan Phetthong, suspected to have romanced women via Facebook and then tricked them into transferring money.
They were initially arrested by immigration police in southern Surat Thani province after they were spotted going to several ATMs to withdraw cash on Koh Samui island on June 30, 2018.
After that Technology Crime Suppression Division police found out that they had fooled 4 Thai women into falling in love with them and transferring altogether 800,000 baht. The 4 women live in Talad Phlu and Prachachuen areas of Bangkok, Buriram province in the Northeast and Trang province in the South.
Miss Wilaiwan has confessed that she was hired to open bank accounts at 4,000 baht each for over a month after a friend introduced her to the Ugandan men at a spa not too long ago
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Top: The Ugandan romance scam suspects at the police station. Photo: Thai News Agency