SONGKHLA: A widow was approached on Facebook by a person using the profile photo of a "handsome American soldier" who offered to send her US$500,000 if she agreed to tie the knot with him.
After being wooed for a few days, she smelled a rat - and turned to police.
Woranut Khunlad, 44, of Songkhla province, on Thursday filed a complaint with Pol Capt Chamlong Khongsawat, deputy investigation chief at Hat Yai police station.
She told him she wanted her experience on Facebook put on the police record as evidence.
Ms Woranut said she was contacted online several days ago by a person with the profile photo of a good-looking fair-skinned man claiming to be an American soldier based in Afghanistan - and with the user name Promise Okafor.
Promise Okafor sent sweet words and photos of flowers to her online every day. And then he announced he had fallen in love with her photos on Facebook and wanted to marry her. She was just his type, he said.
The man had initially asked a Thai woman to talk with her over Facebook, because she could not speak English. She was told that "Mr Promise Okafor" was about to be decommissioned and had a large sum of money that he could not take back home with him. He was seeking marriage with a Thai woman.
A photo of bundles of "US dollars" sent to the Songkhla woman via Facebook by a man claiming to be an American soldier based in Afghanistan. (Photo by Assawin Pakkawan)
She was also told the man would send her US$500,000 (almost 16 million baht), but first she had to send him 38,000 baht to cover transfer fees and other expenses.
The man sent photos of what he said were bundles of US dollars just waiting to be sent to her.
He also asked for her real name and address, and she had told him.
However, she had not yet sent the money. She had seen news stories about this kind of approach and suspected the man might be trying to swindle her. So she decided to file a complaint with police, in case her name and address were used for unlawful purposes.
While she was filing the complaint, the man phoned Ms Woranut via Facebook messenger. A police officer then phoned back, but could not contact him.
The bank account the man sent to Ms Woranut for the 38,000 baht bore the name of a Thai woman, Anothai Sa-ardsri.
Police said the man was probably part of an online scam gang that is preying on Thai women.
But not Ms Woranut.
