Two Africans were arrested for allegedly swindling 2.8 million baht from a Thai man who fell for their suspected currency counterfeiting scam.
Musa Abdallah, 22, of Libya, and Amala Couple, 19, of Angola were captured in their rented Pattaya room with two black bags, paper and various chemicals and powders.
Southern Thailand native Suwapot Kitpokha, 31, said he was invited to join the two Africans in their venture to create fresh, legal currency from scrap paper and suitcases, but was later shocked to find the venture was a fraud.
Musa Abdallah and Amala Couple, shown here hiding behind the tools of their nefarious trade, have been remanded to custody for their currency counterfeiting scam.
Grifters have long used the “black bag” trick to swindle victims by placing blank paper and some chemicals into a suitcase, shaking it and pulling out real currency from a hidden compartment. The con artist then hits up their marks for more cash, allegedly for more of the magic chemicals.
Police, believing the Africans are part of a larger fraud ring, are holding them pending more investigation.
