Six Nigerians arrested in luxury condo raid over romance scam ring using AI targeting elderly Thai women
Six Nigerians were arrested over AI romance scams targeting elderly women in Thailand.
The gang allegedly posed as attractive foreigners with prestigious jobs to seduce lonely women into relationships online.
They allegedly love-bombed their victims with flattery and sexual messages, before then tricking them into wiring 'customs fees' to receive gifts.
Police raided the ring's base in a luxury condominium near Bangkok on May 22, following a widened probe into Nigerian romance scammers in the country.
Acting on a search warrant from the Nonthaburi Provincial Court, officers stormed the property, where they reportedly heard the suspects scrambling to destroy evidence behind closed doors.
Footage shows cops breaking down the door and restraining the Nigerian men, including one who tried to flee through the balcony.
They were identified as Denis, 23, Ejikeme, 24, Ibekwe, 29, Okorom, 26, Nwosu, 30, and Obielu, 24.
Eighteen mobile phones containing intimate messages, scripts, instructions, AI image generators, and three laptops and bank books were seized.
Officers found chat records on the suspects' phones showing conversations with victims through Facebook Messenger, WeChat, TikTok, Line, and Zalo.
The group reportedly created fake profiles of handsome men with high-paying careers, including pilots, soldiers, lawyers, engineers, and doctors.
They were taken to Rattanathibet Police Station to be charged with 'being members of a secret society' and 'remaining in Thailand after their permits had expired'.
Police said they were in Thailand on student visas, and had overstayed between 695 and 1,560 days.
However, suspicions were raised as financial investigations found large amounts of wealth moving through their bank accounts. Cops also noted the Nigerians could afford to rent a luxury condo despite only being students.
Police Major General Theeradet Thamsuthee, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, warned the public to be wary of fake profiles and catfishes online.
He said: ‘In this operation, we uncovered evidence including chat conversations with victims about to be deceived, an AI system generating fake faces to dupe victims, and psychological scripts designed to scam elderly Thai women.
‘The methods used by these fraudsters have evolved beyond simply using fake profile pictures.
‘They now use AI to manipulate facial movements to create fake video calls, alongside advanced psychological scripts intentionally targeting victims' feelings of loneliness, love, and emotional fulfilment.
‘I would like to urge the public, especially those with elderly relatives at home, to help look out for one another.
‘If a good-looking foreigner with an extravagant career messages you, starts deep conversations, and eventually claims that 'a parcel has been sent to you but is stuck at customs so a fee must be transferred first', you should assume with complete certainty that it is a scam.
‘Under no circumstances should you transfer any money.'
Nigerian crime gangs have been operating in Thai tourist hubs like Pattaya and Bangkok, where police say they target nightlife areas to run scams and sell cocaine and heroin to tourists.
The latest arrests come amid a crackdown on African-led drug gangs.
Earlier this year, police arrested alleged Nigerian drug kingpin Patrick, 47, who allegedly posed as a pastor while running a cocaine syndicate supplying high-end clients.
Officers seized millions of baht hidden in his bathroom ceiling along with luxury watches and accessories, cocaine, and foreign currencies during raids linked to the network.
The investigation followed last year's ‘Operation Take Down Black-Shadow Nana', where undercover officers disguised as construction workers to arrest eight Nigerians and a Thai suspect in Bangkok's Nana nightlife district.
