A 48-year-old transgender woman was arrested on Saturday night for allegedly swindling a Japanese man, the latest in a string of similar offenses over the past decade that have primarily targeted Japanese men, amounting to approximately 26 million baht.
Police sources reported that the arrest of Uthai Nanthakhan, also known as Amy, came after a fraud complaint was filed by a 36-year-old Japanese man at the Thong Lor police station.
The victim stated that he met Uthai in January, during which time she claimed to be a visitor from Hong Kong. After several meetings, she persuaded him to make payments on her behalf.
According to the police, the suspect’s usual method involved telling victims, mostly Japanese men, that she had lost her wallet and passport while traveling and needed to borrow money for expenses such as obtaining a new passport, medications, medical treatment, and insurance.
The suspect’s history of fraud dates back to 2011, with a total of 73 victims deceived out of about 26 million baht. This year alone, police received complaints from three victims who reported losses of around 4 million baht.
Uthai had previously been jailed for a similar crime in 2015 and was released in 2018.
