Tourist police have arrested an alleged Nigerian romance scammer in Pattaya, Thailand.
The suspect identified as Ndubuisi, 34, allegedly defrauded several Thai women to the tune of 300,000 baht in damages, police said.
Police arrested him at a housing property in Pattaya, Chon Buri on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
The suspect was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Samut Prakan Provincial Court for 4 counts of violating the law; defrauding the public by impersonating another person, entering false information into the computer system, criminal enrichment and money laundering.
Pol. Lt. Col. Prin Sripattarakulchai, the head of the arrest team said Ndubuisi disguised himself as someone else on Facebook and tricked Thai women into loving him.
He lied to the victims that he would send pricey items to the victims as engagement gifts and then had his Thai accomplice who pretended to be a customs officer contact the victims, saying they needed to pay a duty tax fee to receive their gifts.
Once the victims transferred the money, the suspect took it and disappeared. He also promised the women he scammed that he would relocate to Thailand to marry them, but surely, he never did.
Many Thai women fell victim and filed police reports. The investigators began searching for Ndubuisi and finally learned that he fled to Pattaya.
Law enforcement officers from several units worked together to apprehend the man after confirming his location. The officers then transported him to the Bang Sao Thong Police Station in Samut Prakan province where his arrest warrant was issued.
The Nigerian man caused damages of over 300,000 baht, said police.
The authorities are expanding their investigation to arrest his accomplice who disguised themselves as a customs officers.
