A 52-year-old Thai woman, identified as Orathai, has been arrested in Thailand for her alleged involvement in a Nigerian romance scam.

According to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Orathai is accused of receiving the sum of ฿6.3 billion (approximately ₦138.7 billion) from a scam victim into her bank account.

An arrest warrant had been issued for her in 2020, but the 52-year-old fled to Malaysia. After nearly five years, Thai authorities received a tip-off that she would be flying into the country to visit her children and moved to arrest her.

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She was apprehended by the police shortly after arriving in Thailand from Malaysia. The charges against Orathai include money laundering, criminal association, fraud, and identity theft.

Investigations revealed that she received $184.47 million from a former finance manager who was approached by a member of a Nigerian romance scam gang posing as a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. The victim of the romance scam was allegedly lured into stealing funds from her company and sending them to Orathai’s account.

However, Orathai told the police that she met a Nigerian man at a massage parlour in Malaysia in 2017, who professed love to her and advised her to open a Thai bank account under the pretext of establishing a company.

She added that she and the Nigerian had full control over the accounts.

https://guardian.ng/news/thai-woman-arrested-for-%e2%82%a6138-7b-romance-scam-with-nigerian-gang/