Skip to main content
NOPE
High reported severity Criminal Charges

Thai police say a romance-fraud suspect told them he used AI to fake a bank deposit certificate; the victim handed over 21.3 million baht in 623 transfers

Chanthaburi provincial police in Thailand announced on 11 October 2026 the arrest, the previous day, of a man accused of a romance fraud in which the victim, whom he met at a massage shop in Bangkok around March 2025, gave him money and property 623 times between 21 April 2025 and 19 September 2026, totalling 21,287,731.88 baht. Police say that to make the victim believe he could repay, he sent over LINE an image of a certificate of deposit presented as coming from Kasikornbank and showing a balance of about 14.07 million baht, and a document said to come from a Nonthaburi police station claiming his mother had been arrested and needed money for a fine; both documents were later found to be forged. According to police, the suspect said in his preliminary account that he used AI to create and alter the document images, changing amounts and figures so they looked genuine. Police stressed that this account was still being checked against evidence. They say most of the money went on online slot gambling. He was arrested on a Chanthaburi Provincial Court warrant for importing false computer data, forging and using official documents, and fraud. The suspect and the victim are not named here.

AI system
Unidentified image tool
Occurred
21 Apr 2025 to 19 Sept 2026
Reported
11 October 2026
Event location
Thailand
What the AI did
Depicted or impersonated the person
Reported harm
Financial Loss
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Finance · Relationships
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 3 sources, 1 underlying account
5 claims: 5 reported. 4 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: Unnamed AI technology that, according to the Chanthaburi provincial police briefing, the suspect said he used to create and alter images of documents, including a certificate of deposit presented as issued by Kasikornbank and showing a balance of 14,067,897.05 baht; police said the AI use came from the suspect's preliminary account and was still being checked

What Happened

The relationship and the payments. According to the provincial police commander's briefing, reported by TOPNEWS, Daily News and MGR Online, the suspect met the victim around March 2025 at a massage shop in Bangkok, developed a romantic relationship and began borrowing money for various reasons with promises to repay. Police evidence shows the victim handing over money and property 623 times between 21 April 2025 and 19 September 2026, totalling 21,287,731.88 baht, before consulting family and filing a complaint.

The documents. The suspect sent over LINE an image of a certificate of deposit presented as coming from Kasikornbank, showing 14,067,897.05 baht, so that the victim would believe he was financially secure and could repay. He also showed a document said to be issued by the Mueang Nonthaburi police station claiming that his mother had been arrested for underground lottery gambling and needed money for a fine. Both were later found to be forgeries.

The AI account. Police say the suspect told officers in his preliminary account that he used AI to help create and alter the document images, editing details such as amounts and figures so they looked like genuine documents from the bank or agency. Daily News reports police saying the AI point came from questioning the suspect and was still being verified against evidence. MGR Online states the AI use as fact within its account of the briefing.

Arrest and spending. Investigators arrested him on 10 October 2026 under Chanthaburi Provincial Court warrant 196/2569 of 7 October for importing false computer data, forging and using official documents, and fraud, and searched four locations in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom. Police say some of the money paid informal debts and personal expenses and most went on online slot gambling.

What is not established. The AI tool is not named and police were still checking the suspect's account. When the forged certificate was sent relative to the 623 payments, and how much of the loss followed it, is not reported. The victim's own account is not reported.

Reported harm

According to Chanthaburi police, a romance-fraud victim handed over 21,287,731.88 baht in 623 transfers between April 2025 and September 2026; police say forged documents shown to the victim to build credibility, including a certificate of deposit that the suspect told police he made with AI, led to the payments.

Outcome

Ongoing

Arrested on 10 October 2026 under Chanthaburi Provincial Court warrant 196/2569 for importing false computer data, forging and using official documents, and fraud; handed to Mueang Chanthaburi police investigators. Police continue to check evidence and the money trail.

What remains unknown

  • Which AI tool was used, and whether police verification confirmed the suspect's account.
  • When the forged certificate was sent relative to the 623 payments, and how much of the loss followed it.
  • The victim's own account.
  • Whether the Nonthaburi police document was also AI-made.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. Chanthaburi provincial police say the suspect told officers that he used AI to create and alter the document images, editing amounts and figures so that a certificate of deposit looked as if Kasikornbank had issued it; the forged certificate was sent to the victim to make the victim believe he could repay the loans, and the commander's briefing (Daily News) says the forged documents were shown to build credibility, leading the victim to hand over the money. The generated image impersonated the bank toward the victim (depicted_or_impersonated). Police said the AI point came from the suspect's preliminary account and was still being checked, and the share of the loss that followed the forged certificate is not reported.

5 claims: 5 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported Police say the suspect met the victim around March 2025 at a massage shop in Bangkok, developed a romantic relationship and borrowed money with promises to repay.

Causal attribution. Police briefing; the victim's own account is not reported.

  • topnews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้ต้องหารู้จักกับผู้เสียหายที่ร้านนวดแห่งหนึ่งในกรุงเทพมหานคร เมื่อประมาณเดือนมีนาคม 2568'
  • dailynews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้ต้องหารู้จักกับผู้เสียหายเมื่อประมาณเดือนมีนาคม 2568 ที่ร้านนวดแห่งหนึ่งในกรุงเทพฯ'
Reported Police evidence shows the victim handing over money and property 623 times between 21 April 2025 and 19 September 2026, totalling 21,287,731.88 baht.

Causal attribution. Police account of the evidence gathered; not independently checked.

  • topnews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'รวมทั้งสิ้น 623 ครั้ง ระหว่างวันที่ 21 เมษายน 2568 ถึง 19 กันยายน 2569 คิดเป็นมูลค่าความเสียหายรวม 21,287,731.88 บาท'
  • dailynews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้เสียหายได้มอบเงินและทรัพย์สินให้แก่ผู้ต้องหาอย่างต่อเนื่อง รวมทั้งสิ้น 623 ครั้ง คิดเป็นมูลค่าความเสียหาย 21,287,731.88 บาท'
Reported The suspect sent over LINE an image of a certificate of deposit presented as from Kasikornbank showing 14,067,897.05 baht, and a document claimed to be from a Nonthaburi police station about his mother's arrest; both were later found to be forged. Police say the forged documents were shown to build credibility, leading the victim to hand over the money.

Causal attribution. Police briefing.

  • topnews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้ต้องหาได้ส่งภาพเอกสารที่อ้างว่าเป็นหนังสือรับรองยอดเงินฝากจากธนาคารกสิกรไทยผ่านแอปพลิเคชัน LINE โดยระบุยอดเงินฝากจำนวน 14,067,897.05 บาท'; 'เมื่อตรวจสอบภายหลังพบว่าเอกสารทั้งสองรายการเป็นเอกสารปลอม'
  • mgronline.com(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'โดยอ้างว่าเป็นเอกสารจากธนาคารกสิกรไทย แสดงยอดเงินฝาก 14,067,897.05 บาท'
  • dailynews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ก่อนนำเอกสารปลอมมาแสดงเพื่อสร้างความน่าเชื่อถือ ทำให้ผู้เสียหายมอบเงินและทรัพย์สินรวมมูลค่า 21,287,731.88 บาท'
Reported Police say the suspect told them in his preliminary account that he used AI to create and alter the document images, editing amounts and figures so they looked genuine, and that this was still being checked against evidence.

Causal attribution. The suspect's own preliminary statement as conveyed by police; police had not completed verification.

  • topnews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้ต้องหาให้ข้อมูลเบื้องต้นว่า ได้ใช้ AI ช่วยสร้างและดัดแปลงภาพเอกสาร รวมถึงแก้ไขรายละเอียด เช่น ยอดเงินและตัวเลข'; 'เจ้าหน้าที่ยังอยู่ระหว่างตรวจสอบพยานหลักฐานที่เกี่ยวข้อง'
  • dailynews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ประเด็นการใช้ปัญญาประดิษฐ์เป็นข้อมูลจากการสอบถามผู้ต้องหาเบื้องต้น ซึ่งยังอยู่ระหว่างการตรวจสอบพยานหลักฐานที่เกี่ยวข้อง'
  • mgronline.com(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ผู้ต้องหายังใช้เทคโนโลยีปัญญาประดิษฐ์ (AI) สร้างและดัดแปลงภาพหนังสือรับรองยอดเงินฝาก'
Reported Police arrested the suspect on 10 October 2026 under a Chanthaburi Provincial Court warrant for importing false computer data, forging and using official documents, and fraud, and say most of the money went on online gambling.

Causal attribution. Police briefing; no court finding.

  • dailynews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'การจับกุมดังกล่าวเกิดขึ้นเมื่อวันที่ 10 ตุลาคม 2569'
  • topnews.co.th(opens in new tab) supports · Thai
    'ในความผิดเกี่ยวกับการนำเข้าข้อมูลคอมพิวเตอร์ปลอมหรือข้อมูลอันเป็นเท็จ การปลอมและใช้เอกสารราชการปลอม และฉ้อโกง'; 'เงินส่วนใหญ่ถูกนำไปเล่นพนันออนไลน์'

Sources

3 sources inspected, from 1 underlying account. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in Thai by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-12 and translated by that agent; no human translation. Buddhist-era years converted (2568 = 2025, 2569 = 2026). TOPNEWS, 11 Oct 2026 17:17, HTTP 200; report by its Chanthaburi correspondent of the provincial police briefing. Applies to s1.

Read in Thai by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-12 and translated by that agent; no human translation. Buddhist-era years converted (2568 = 2025, 2569 = 2026). Daily News, 11 Oct 2026, HTTP 200; report of the same briefing, with the police caveat that the AI point was still being checked. Applies to s2.

Read in Thai by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-12 and translated by that agent; no human translation. Buddhist-era years converted (2568 = 2025, 2569 = 2026). MGR Online, 11 Oct 2026 19:50, HTTP 200; report of the same briefing. Applies to s3.

Event countries: Thailand. Affected-person countries: Thailand. Court countries: Thailand.

The pair met in Bangkok, the warrant was issued by the Chanthaburi Provincial Court, and the arrest and searches were in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom, all in Thailand. The victim's nationality is not stated, and Thailand as the affected person's country rests on the victim meeting the suspect at a Bangkok massage shop and filing a complaint with Thai police.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-12: Published as a core impersonation case: Chanthaburi police say a romance-fraud suspect told them he used AI to create a forged Kasikornbank deposit certificate shown to the victim to make repayment seem assured, and police evidence records 21.3 million baht handed over in 623 transfers. The AI account is the suspect's preliminary statement and police were still checking it; the record says so. The suspect and the victim are not named.

People described

An adult who met the suspect at a massage shop in Bangkok and handed over money and property over about 17 months; no further details are given here.

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed

One person: the victim who handed over the money, described by police as a single complainant (ผู้เสียหาย). The victim did not use the AI tool, so is counted as another person harmed. The bank and the police station whose documents were forged are institutions and are not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#romance-scam#forged-document#ai-generated-image#fraud#thailand#financial-loss#police-arrest

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Thai police say a romance-fraud suspect told them he used AI to fake a bank deposit certificate; the victim handed over 21.3 million baht in 623 transfers. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2025-chanthaburi-police-romance-fraud-suspect-says-ai-made-fake-bank-deposit-certificate

BibTeX

@misc{2025_chanthaburi_police_romance_fraud_suspect_says_ai_made_fake_bank_deposit_certificate,
  title = {Thai police say a romance-fraud suspect told them he used AI to fake a bank deposit certificate; the victim handed over 21.3 million baht in 623 transfers},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2025-chanthaburi-police-romance-fraud-suspect-says-ai-made-fake-bank-deposit-certificate}
}

Related cases

Medium Unidentified image tool

Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh: a woman is arrested and later refused bail after a railway officer's wife complained that she sent an AI-made objectionable image of the officer, demanded ₹15 lakh and threatened to circulate pictures of women in the family

Jhansi police arrested a 27-year-old woman in Prayagraj in September 2026 on charges of editing photos with AI, blackmail and extortion, after the wife of a senior railway officer living in Jhansi filed an FIR on 2 August 2026. According to the complaint as relayed by Aaj Tak, UP Tak, Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala, the woman threatened to circulate objectionable pictures of women in the family, demanded ₹15 lakh and threatened to kill the family, and out of fear the family paid her ₹40,000 in total on different dates between January and June 2026. On 31 July she sent an objectionable image of the officer to his wife's phone, an image police say she made with AI. Aaj Tak places the ₹15 lakh demand after that image; Dainik Bhaskar reports the complaint as dating the demand and a death threat to the woman's visit to the family's government house on 2 June. Police recovered two phones and a laptop, and Amar Ujala reports that police will have the images examined forensically. On 1 October 2026 an Additional Sessions Judge in Jhansi rejected the woman's bail plea. In police custody after her arrest she said the FIR against her was fake. The images were not inspected.

Medium Unidentified image tool

Bitcoin adviser reports a client lost his retirement savings to a romance scam; the scammer's message said the persona's pictures were AI-made

Bitcoin security adviser Terence Michael wrote on X on 14 December 2025 that a client who had recently reached one bitcoin had lost all of it to a 'pig butchering' romance and trading scam. A screenshot attached to the post shows the client telling the adviser that the woman he had been talking with did not exist, that he had paid for a ticket to meet her and her family on 26 December, and that his retirement funds and family savings were gone. The screenshot also shows the scammer's message to the client saying that this was not real, that she was not the person in the pictures, that the pictures were AI and other people's pictures, and that no funds could be withdrawn. BitDegree (15 December 2025) and a Cointelegraph explainer (31 December 2025) relay the adviser's account; the adviser said he had tried several times to stop the transfers. The client's identity and location, the scam's start date and the tools used are unknown. The Cointelegraph explainer's description of live deepfake video calls does not appear in the adviser's post and is not established.

Medium Unidentified image tool

Chandigarh, India: a PhD scholar met a man on a matrimonial site whose profile showed him in an IPS officer's uniform; police say the photo was made with AI, and she reports losing cash, gold and a laptop before he was arrested in September 2026

A 29-year-old PhD scholar in Chandigarh told police that in March 2026 she found a man's profile on a matrimonial site showing him in uniform, and that he presented himself at different times as an excise assistant commissioner, an IPS officer and a RAW agent. Dainik Bhaskar reports that the police investigation found the uniform photo on the profile was not real and had been made with the help of AI. According to her complaint, he took about Rs 11.5 lakh in cash, gold jewellery and a laptop, with promises of marriage and a government job. Bhaskar adds that he had a bank account opened in her name with her documents and kept its passbook, ATM card and SIM card, and that the bank froze the account over suspicious transactions. The Tribune reports a total of nearly Rs 30 lakh, including about Rs 7.88 lakh in online transfers between March and June. When she asked for her money and belongings back, he threatened to circulate her photographs on social media; the Tribune adds that he also threatened harm to her brother. A case was registered in August. Police arrested a man from Rohtak, Haryana, who was produced in court on Monday 28 September 2026 and remanded for one day. The Tribune's account does not mention AI.

Low Unidentified image tool

Garut, West Java: a local outlet reports that a young man paid Rp200,000 to an unknown account that threatened to spread an AI-made fake nude photo

Kilas Garut News reported on 3 October 2026 that a young man from Karangpawitan in Garut Regency, West Java, was extorted by an unknown account that threatened to spread a fake nude photo made with AI. According to the report, the account demanded money to delete the photo and the young man, frightened, transferred Rp200,000; the account then asked for a second payment for permanent deletion. The young man told family members, who consulted a journalist of the outlet. The journalist is quoted as saying the photo was an AI paste-up and as advising the family to stop paying and block the account, which they did. No police report is mentioned. The account comes from the outlet and its own journalist, who helped the family.

If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available. Find a helpline near you at Signpost.

Back to all incidents