A 49-year-old Thai transgender woman, identified as Uthai Nantakhan but known by her alias Amy, was arrested in Bangkok on August 4 for defrauding 73 Japanese men out of nearly 30 million baht (approx. RM3.84 million) over a period of 13 years.
Police began investigating Amy after a 36-year-old Japanese man reported that she had conned him out of 15 million baht (approx. RM1.91 million).
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Apparently, the man met Amy in January, during a trip to Thailand, where she posed as a Hong Kong tourist who had lost her passport and purse, South China Morning Post reported.
She borrowed money for a hotel, and the pair soon developed an intimate relationship.
Amy manipulated the man into lending her money for insurance and medical expenses and convinced him to buy gold, which she later exchanged for cash before disappearing.
Amy’s scam wasn’t isolated—police revealed she had been deceiving Japanese men since 2011.
Posing as a tourist from Taiwan or Hong Kong, Amy fabricated stories about losing her purse or needing funds for Covid-19 treatment to gain sympathy and money from her victims.
She also tricked men into investing in fake businesses, later claiming they had failed.
It was found that all her victims were Japanese nationals.
Amy attributed her actions to heartbreak, claiming that a Japanese boyfriend had abandoned her during a trip when she was in college, leaving her with all the bills.
“When I was in college, my Japanese boyfriend abandoned me during a trip, and left me to pay all the bills. I was heartbroken,” she was quoted as saying.
“I was also scammed out of money by another Japanese man I dated before, so I really hate the Japanese and wanted to take revenge on Japanese men.”
Though the authenticity of Amy’s motivations remains in question, her crimes have sparked discussion on social media.
Police reports reveal that Amy defrauded 73 Japanese men of 26 million baht (approx. RM3.30 million) from 2011 to 2024.
One commenter wrote, “Amy’s experience of being deceived by Japanese men is likely just an excuse. She probably thinks Japanese people are gentle and easy to deceive.”
Another stated, “Her narrow-mindedness led her down a path of crime. The best way to take revenge on those you dislike is to become a better person.”
Amy now faces up to three years in prison and a fine of 60,000 baht (approx. RM7,646) for fraud.
