A Nigerian man and his Thai wife were arrested for running an online romance scam to bilk a lonely woman out of 1.5 million baht.
Nongprue and Chonburi Transnational Crime and Illegal Immigration Suppression Center officers apprehended Uchenna Josep Amujiogu, 40, and Wadsana Kanjeak, 36, July 6. Police seized 17 bank books, mobile phones, 10 SIM cards, clothing wigs, and sunglasses, along with their car.
The arrest came after a police complaint by a 44-year-old woman who said she became friendly on Facebook and Google Hangouts with a man claiming to be a U.S. military doctor.
When her new foreign love told the woman that he’d arranged a World Bank stipend of US$500,000 payment for her, she believed it. All she had to do was loan him $50,000 to pay the transfer fee.
She did and then her “doctor” friend disappeared. On June 24 she went to Nongprue Police.
Investigators discovered a Thai woman in disguise hitting various ATMs in the Pattaya area. They tracked her back to Amujiogu and police got warrants to search two properties in Plutaluang.
Police said Amujiogu and Wadsana were working for an overseas fraud gang for two years and collecting 5 percent of every take.
Both were charged with fraud and the Nigerian with illegally residing in Thailand.