Thai police raided three rooms inside a luxury condominium near Phra Nang Klao Bridge in Nonthaburi Province and arrested six foreign men accused of operating an AI-assisted romance scam network targeting Thai women.
Authorities identified all six suspects as Nigerian nationals. Police said five of the men had overstayed their visas, with overstay periods ranging from 695 to 1,560 days.
The suspects were charged with participating in a criminal organisation and remaining in Thailand after their visas expired. Police are also coordinating with victims and investigators in other jurisdictions over possible additional romance scam charges.
During the raid, officers seized:
- 18 mobile phones containing scam conversations, AI face generation tools, and scripted messages
- 3 laptop computers
- 3 bank books
Investigators said the case expanded from an earlier transnational cocaine trafficking investigation involving another Nigerian suspect arrested in April. Financial investigators later uncovered suspicious money transfers linked to the group.
Police found that several suspects held student visas but showed no evidence of attending school or working legally in Thailand. Authorities believe the group used the condo rooms as an operational base for online scam activity.
According to police, officers were forced to break into the rooms after the suspects refused to open the doors. Authorities reported hearing movement inside and feared evidence was being destroyed.
Inside one room, officers discovered active scam conversations targeting older Thai women. One suspect allegedly tried to escape through a balcony while another hid inside a bathroom and attempted to warn accomplices in nearby rooms.
Police said the suspects used platforms including Facebook, Messenger, WeChat, TikTok, LINE, and Zalo to communicate with victims.
Investigators found the group posed as attractive foreign professionals, including:
- Pilots
- American soldiers
- Lawyers
- Engineers
- Doctors
Police said the scammers spent time building romantic relationships with victims before requesting money. In many cases, the suspects allegedly claimed they had sent gifts from overseas that became “stuck at customs,” then asked victims to transfer money for release fees or other expenses.
Authorities stated that most victims were older Thai women.
Officers also discovered detailed romantic and sexual conversation scripts designed to manipulate victims emotionally and create intimacy. Police said the suspects used AI-generated faces and fake video calls to make the scams appear more believable.
According to investigators, modern scam operations no longer rely only on stolen photos or fake social media profiles. Police warned that criminal groups increasingly use AI tools to animate faces, stage fake video calls, and create convincing online identities designed to exploit loneliness and emotional vulnerability.
All six suspects reportedly confessed during questioning. Police are continuing to investigate possible links to larger international fraud networks and money laundering operations connected to the case.
