A transgender woman in Thailand has been arrested for orchestrating an elaborate fraud scheme that targeted Japanese men, scamming them of nearly 30 million baht (approximately Rs 7.35 crore). According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Thai police launched an investigation after a Japanese man visiting Thailand reported that a trans woman called Amy had conned him of 15 million baht. The cops revealed that she pretended to be a tourist in Thailand and lied and manipulated men to gain sympathy from them. She also confessed that her elaborate scams were motivated by a deep-seated desire for revenge against Japanese men, stemming from personal betrayal years ago.
During the investigation, police found that the 36-year-old Japanese man met the woman, who went by the alias "Amy”, in Thailand in January. According to SCMP, she posed as a Hong Kong tourist who had lost her passport and purse, and borrowed money from the man to pay for a hotel. The two then quickly formed an intimate relationship after exchanging contact details. The man then lent her money for insurance and medical expenses, but she never repaid him.
The trans woman also tricked the man into buying gold for her, which she exchanged for cash before disappearing, the cops said.
On August 4, the woman, whose real name is Uthai Nantakhan, was arrested in Bangkok. Police said that she pretended to be a tourist and manipulated and lied to men to gain sympathy. She would claim she had lost her purse and needed money to renew her passport or pretend to have contracted Covid to get cash for treatment. She also lured men into investing in fake businesses, later claiming the projects had failed and making off with their investment funds.
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Police found that the woman's victims were all Japanese nationals. She told cops that a Japanese boyfriend had dumped her years ago, and that the pain and anguish had made her turn to a life of crime.
“When I was in college, my Japanese boyfriend abandoned me during a trip, and left me to pay all the bills. I was heartbroken,” she said. “I was also scammed out of money by another Japanese man I dated before, so I really hate the Japanese and wanted to take revenge on Japanese men,” she added.
During the investigation, police found that the woman had scammed 73 Japanese men out of nearly 30 million baht between 2011 and 2024. If convicted, she could face up to three years in prison and a maximum fine of 60,000 baht.
