BANGKOK, THAILAND – In a recent crackdown on financial fraud, Bangkok authorities have apprehended two Liberian nationals, identified as Solomon Varney Gaddeh, 32, and Yousouf Cherif, 50, in connection with a cunning gold-selling scam that defrauded a local Thai businessman of approximately US$90,000, or around 3 million baht.
The scam unfolded when the unidentified Thai businessman, an owner of a company importing iron and gold ore, was approached via social media by an individual using the pseudonym “Richard.” The suspect offered to sell gold bars at a price well below the market value, leading to a meeting where the exchange was supposed to occur.
On January 2nd, 2025, the victim met with Gaddeh and Cherif in a Bangkok hotel’s car park, expecting to purchase 2 kilograms of gold. However, during the transaction, the scam unfolded in a textbook distraction technique. “Richard” engaged the businessman in a video call while the Liberian duo swapped the bag containing genuine US dollars with one filled with counterfeit banknotes.
After the exchange, the suspects excused themselves to fetch their passports, leaving with the gold and never returning. The businessman, left waiting, later discovered the deceit when he found the texture of the banknotes to be unusual. A subsequent check at a bank confirmed the money was fake.
The Thonglor police, led by Pol Col Pansa Amarapitak, acted swiftly, arresting Gaddeh and Cherif on Udomsuk Road in Bangkok’s Bang Na district. Both men confessed to the deception but claimed they intended to return the money, a claim that seems unlikely given the international transfer of funds already executed by the time of their arrest.
The investigation into the scam continues, with authorities suspecting that there might be additional accomplices involved. The police are now piecing together the network behind this sophisticated scam, which not only involved currency switching but also the use of technology to facilitate the fraud.
