A 52-year-old Thai woman, Orathai (surname withheld), was arrested at Hat Yai Airport upon returning from Malaysia. She is accused of aiding a Nigerian-led transnational romance scam syndicate, considered Thailand’s largest, involving the theft of 6.3 billion baht (approximately USD 86 million) from a multinational company’s Thai branch.
The scam used a fake LinkedIn profile of a U.S. Army doctor to deceive the company’s CFO, who was also charged with theft.
Orathai admitted to opening multiple bank accounts at the request of her Nigerian partner, whom she met in Malaysia in 2017. She claimed she believed the accounts were for business purposes and was paid 6,500 baht per account.
Authorities linked these accounts to fraudulent transactions, leading to her arrest. The investigation has implicated nearly 100 individuals, and efforts to apprehend remaining suspects continue.
