$1,400 USD For A White Doctor Husband? Thai Matchmaking Site Scams Local Women Clientele
20 Thai women were unfortunately scammed at the hands of an online matchmaker.
Several of these women came forward to do an interview with local TV show Hon Krasae where they admitted to using a matchmaking site that promised to pair them up with successful Western men.
Prices for these men depended on their professions. At the lower end was a boyfriend who is employed in the government sector, costing ฿20,000 THB (around $554 USD).
With ฿30,000 THB (around $832 USD), one can order a man in a business career related to real estate, exports, logistics, and the like. The site even used the photos of former German football players Philipp Lahm and Michael Ballack as examples of active profiles in this category.
At the higher end of the scale is a doctor who is worth ฿50,000 THB (around $1,387 USD). Finally, a vineyard or animal farm owner will set back the woman a whopping ฿100,000 THB (around $2,774 USD).
The victims stated in the interview that the head of the site, “Coach Sister Lek,” promised to connect them with these high-profile foreign men whom she personally scouted. She stated that they will fly out from their home countries to meet the women—most being single mothers looking for a better life—in Thailand. Once the women transferred the payments, however, she cut off contact with them all.
They stated that they placed their trust in her due to her large following of over 100,000 women on the matchmaking site only to be duped in the end.
One of the victims, dubbed “Aor,” did not shy away from showing her face in front of the camera. She wanted to warn fellow Thai women against using the site. She called out Coach Sister Lek for scamming them, demanding that she repay the money she was entrusted with.
The victims filed accusations against Coach Sister Lek with the help of a local lawyer. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau advised him to prepare a list of victims to be submitted to them for closer investigation.