Police are warning about a romance scam where people pose as attractive foreigners on dating applications and, after some sweet talking, convince victims to transfer money to an account for an “investment opportunity.”
Police say the scammers claim the coronavirus pandemic has affected their business and they’ve started investing in the stock market as well as cryptocurrency. Police say the scammers send a photo showing their “profits” to entice people to make an “investment.”
The Department of Special Investigation posted a notice in Thai warning locals about scammers that target people on both dating apps and apps used to make friends. The scammers allegedly pose as both men and women.
After getting the victim on board to start making investments, the scammer will then send a link to a website or app, Thai media reports. The scammer claims they know a “shortcut” to make quick money from investments. The victims either transfer money to a Thai account or they convert their money to cryptocurrency before transferring it.
Apparently, the scammer will give the victim a profit for the first few investments, enticing them to put more money down to get a larger return. Then the scammer says “problems” start to happen with the system that require the victim to put down more money. Thai media did not report on how many people were affected by the scam or how much money was lost.
SOURCE: Thai Residents
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.