A group of nine foreign nationals was busted at the Chaengwattana Immigration office yesterday for allegedly paying Thai women THB5,000 each (about US$150) to register phony marriages—a relative bargain, as we’re guessing a similar scam would cost at least 100 times more in the U.S.
The Department of Consular Affairs noticed irregularities when the men — seven Nigerians and two Afghans — attempted to clear paperwork identifying 100 foreigners as single and thus eligible for marriage, Daily News reported.
A little bit of digging revealed the men had hired Thai women they found on Facebook who were willing to “marry” for the relatively meager payoff so the foreigners could obtain a marriage visa and stay longer in Thailand, the officers said.
The department then tricked the men into making a trip to immigration en masse by calling and asking them to submit further documents, allowing them to swoop in and make the arrest.
It was not disclosed how much they allegedly charged the foreign men for the service.
Ironically, the foreigners in question could have had “real” marriage as we learned earlier this week. Only sticking point is that you need to be rich. Hmm. Maybe THB5,000 is an easier route after all.
Related:
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