Wang Saphung, Thailand – A 32-year-old woman in Loei province lost three vehicles worth more than 1.2 million baht after a man she met online moved in with her following just one day of chatting, police said.
Rapid romance turned theft
Watchalaporn Butsaba met a 41-year-old man identified as Thawatchai through a Facebook dating page. After only a day of online conversation, he arrived at her home in the Wang Saphung district on Sept. 19 and said he loved her and wanted to live with her, relatives told police.
“He prepared the area around the house for a wedding,” Watchalaporn’s older sister said, adding the family believed his claims and accepted his presence in the home.
Theft unfolded over days
Police said the man began taking vehicles from the property from Oct. 10. According to the complaint, he first “borrowed” a blue Honda Wave 125 motorcycle, claiming it needed a tyre change. He then persuaded Watchalaporn to drive him to Sakon Nakhon, where he took a bronze-grey Toyota Revo pickup. Finally, on Oct. 15 he left with a white Isuzu pickup and cut off contact, investigators said. Each time he gave a different excuse — changing a tyre, collecting money or doing bank business — and Watchalaporn accompanied him to the supposed meeting points.
Suspect already wanted on multiple charges
When Watchalaporn reported the case to Nong Ya Plong police station she was told there were already eight arrest warrants against Thawatchai for similar fraud offences. The breakthrough in identifying him came by chance, police said, when a Bangkok car dealership contacted her about someone trying to sell her white Isuzu. Staff at the dealership sent a video of the sale in which the man could be clearly seen and recognised as Thawatchai.
Police warning and wider trend
Thai authorities warned against rapid trust in online relationships and urged caution when new acquaintances request access to valuable items. “Online acquaintances should develop slowly. Never hand over valuable property to someone you barely know,” a police statement said. The case reflects a wider pattern of dating-related scams in Thailand: in Udon Thani province, police recently investigated a woman who lost 30,000 baht after paying a matchmaker for a supposed British husband who then disappeared.
A costly lesson
For Watchalaporn the episode was a painful lesson: she lost two pickups and a motorcycle valued at more than 1.2 million baht — and her trust in a stranger. Police said they are continuing to search for Thawatchai and urged anyone with information to come forward.