Ladyboy fraudster: 100 Japanese, 100 million baht over 10 years

Cheating 100 men out of 100 million baht over 10 years, police finally catch ladyboy who claims it was all payback for Japanese man who abandoned her during Koh Pi Pi holiday.

CRIME

CSD brings alleged fraudster's 10-year career to an end

Thief conned Japanese out of 100m baht, writes Wassayos Ngamkham
2/02/2015
Wassayos Ngamkham

After several years of chasing a suspect accused of scamming Japanese businessmen and tourists out of more than 100 million baht, police have arrested alleged serial fraudster, kathoey Uthai Nanthakhan.

A team of Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers, led by Pol Sgt Maj Yutthaphon Srisomphong — dubbed "Johnny the Buster" — apprehended the 40-year-old Ms Uthai, an Udon Thani native, at an apartment in Sukhumvit Soi 93 in Bang Chak district in late January.

Police received a tip-off the suspect was hiding in the building. They lay in wait for a day at the apartment but Ms Uthai did not appear.

Police decided to ask people who lived in the apartment whether they knew Ms Uthai and showed them her photo.

Police cordoned off the building and finally arrested Ms Uthai after one resident gave them the suspect's room number.

...Ms Uthai targeted male Japanese tourists and businessmen in Bangkok entertainment and business districts such as Thong Lor, Asok, Ekamai, Nana and Silom.

She approached the Japanese pretending to be a foreign traveller who had lost her wallet. Victims would feel sympathetic and offer her money, but Ms Uthai would not accept. Instead, she would ask victims if it was possible for her family overseas to transfer money to their bank accounts. Only then would she agree to take their money.

The suspect would then forge an SMS message to herself, pretending to be a bank, saying her relatives had transferred money to the victims' accounts.

Ms Uthai would tell the victims they would not be able to withdraw the money until it had cleared in the next three or five days.

Victims would believe this and offer money in advance.

Ms Uthai would take the money and her victims would never see her again. (continued below)

The hunt for Ms Uthai began after the Japanese embassy reported to the police that a number of Japanese businessmen in Thailand had been conned out of huge sums or money...

Previously, Ms Uthai was caught in 2012 and spent eight months in jail.

The recent investigation into her fraud cases found three cases early this year, and 18 cases in 2014.

Most of the Japanese victims did not file complaints with Thai authorities and instead only complained to the embassy.

Ms Uthai has allegedly been committing offences for more than 10 years convincing at least 100 Japanese victims to part with about 100 million baht in cash.

Ms Uthai would usually manage to obtain at least 25,000 baht from a victim. However, one victim was reportedly conned out of two million baht.

In the latest case which occurred on Jan 21, the suspect swindled a Japanese man out of 90,000 baht.

Ms Uthai confessed to police that she targeted the Japanese because she was angry at a Japanese man who had once taken her on holiday to Koh Phi Phi in Krabi and abandoned her.

The Japanese embassy has been urged to get Ms Uthai's victims to file charges against her because the more cases filed against her, the heavier her sentence will be once convicted. The police warned tourists to be cautious and advised them not to lend money to strangers.

Contact Crime Track: [email protected]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/463612/csd-brings-alleged-fraudster-10-year-career-to-an-end

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