BANGKOK — Thai Immigration Police have successfully apprehended suspects in two separate fraud cases involving African nationals, Police Major General Phantana Nuchanat, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, announced at a press conference.
In the first case, authorities arrested a 53-year-old Cameroonian national, Mr. Tenkeu, for operating a fraudulent U.S. dollar selling scheme. The suspect allegedly advertised authentic $100 bills for sale at just $20 each through a website, requiring potential buyers to make a 20% deposit before disappearing with the money.
Immigration Police Division 1 conducted a sting operation, arranging to purchase $500,000 in U.S. currency for $100,000. The undercover agent insisted on seeing the currency before making any payment, leading to a meeting at a hotel in Soi Ramkhamhaeng 22, Bangkok, where the suspect was arrested.
During questioning, Mr. Tenkeu admitted that he intended to deceive the buyer by showing a few genuine dollar bills as samples and then disappearing after receiving a 700,000 baht transfer. Thai authorities have revoked his permission to stay in the kingdom and blacklisted him from future entry. He will be deported to Cameroon.
In a separate case, authorities arrested the alleged ringleader of a African gold scam following a complaint filed on January 16, 2024. The victims reported being defrauded of 1.1 million baht by three African nationals who switched genuine currency with counterfeit U.S. dollars during a gold trading scheme.
Police initially arrested two suspects: Jason (alias Kanu), a Sierra Leone national, and Cisse, a Liberian national. Both were processed at Lumpini Police Station and had their visas revoked before being transferred to the Immigration Detention Center.
In a recent development in 2025, investigators identified and arrested the third suspect, previously known only as Kevin, in Chonburi province. The suspect, using the alias Bobby, is a 30-year-old Liberian national who allegedly played a crucial role in the scam by arranging meetings, taking victims to gold smelting facilities for verification, and participating in the currency switch scheme.
The victims positively identified Bobby as Kevin, the third member of the fraud operation. He has been transferred to Lumpini Police Station for legal proceedings.
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