Thai police arrested six Nigerian nationals on May 22 for operating an artificial intelligence-powered romance scam syndicate from a luxury condominium overlooking the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi Province. The men were caught after a cocaine trafficking investigation unravelled their broader fraud operation targeting older Thai women.
The discovery began in April when police arrested a Nigerian man named Patrick and three associates on drug trafficking charges, seizing 2.5 million baht in assets. When investigators traced the money, they found it led to foreign nationals living in a high-end riverside condominium near Phra Nangklao Bridge. None of the residents were enrolled in school despite claiming student visas. Multiple men shared single units in the luxury building.
On May 22, police executed three separate warrants on three units after the suspects refused to open their doors. Officers forced entry into the apartments. One man attempted to climb over a balcony to escape. Another lay hidden on a bathroom floor, frantically texting other units to warn them of the police presence. When officers swept through the units, they seized 18 mobile phones, three laptops, and three bank passbooks. The phones remained open to active romance scam conversations.
The scam operated with precision. The men created fake profiles using AI-generated Western faces and conducted false video calls with victims. They posed as airline pilots, US military officers, doctors, and engineers. After building relationships with older Thai women over weeks, they claimed a valuable package had become stuck in customs. To retrieve it, they told the women, a transfer fee was needed. Investigators found scripts written specifically to manipulate victims. These "sexy chat" messages were crafted to lower defences and push women toward emptying their bank accounts. Police said a single well-written line could convince a victim to transfer money.
The six men face initial charges of illegal association under Thai law and immigration overstay. Additional charges for fraud and romance scams are pending as investigators continue their case.
