Cameroonian Man Arrested in Bangkok for Fake US Dollar Scam

ASEAN NOW | A 53-year-old Cameroonian man has been arrested by immigration police for allegedly running a scam selling counterfeit US dollars online. The suspect, identified as Mr. Tenkeu, was caught in a sting operation in Bangkok’s Bang Kapi district.

According to the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division, authorities had been monitoring the suspect after receiving reports of fraudulent activities. Mr. Tenkeu had allegedly been advertising US dollars for sale online, offering genuine $100 bills at an unbelievable price of just $20 per note.

Potential buyers were contacted via the LINE messaging app, where the scammer would send images of real US dollar notes to convince them of the authenticity of the deal. He required customers to pay a 20% deposit before he would “release” the cash. However, once payments were made, the scammer disappeared without delivering the money.

To catch the suspect, officers arranged for an undercover agent to contact Mr. Tenkeu via LINE and expressed interest in purchasing $100,000 worth of the advertised US currency, worth $500,000, approximately 17 million Thai baht. The suspect instructed the agent to transfer a 700,000 baht deposit to a Kasikorn Bank account under the name Tenkeu Jexx Juxxx.

Instead of transferring the funds, the undercover officer insisted on a face-to-face meeting to verify the authenticity of the dollars before proceeding with the full transaction. Mr. Tenkeu agreed to meet at a hotel in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 22, Hua Mak, Bang Kapi, where he offered to sell a sample batch of $300 for 2,500 baht, which was completed, using fake US dollars.

At the agreed time, police officers from Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division were already stationed at the hotel, monitoring the transaction. When Mr. Tenkeu again attempted to persuade the officer to transfer 700,000 baht to his account, the officer signalled for the police to intervene.

Upon arrest, authorities examined Mr. Tenkeu’s passport and searched his belongings. They found 2,500 baht in marked, Thai banknotes, which were used in the sting operation. When questioned, the suspect admitted that he had no real US dollars to deliver and the fake dollars were used tempt buyers in small initial deals. He stated that normally he intended to take the deposit and just disappear. He explained that the few genuine notes he had were only used to deceive victims online.

Due to the fraudulent nature of his activities, authorities deemed Mr. Tenkeu a threat to public safety. The Commander of the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division revoked his visa and blacklisted him from re-entering Thailand. He will be deported to Cameroon after legal proceedings.

The Immigration Bureau urges the public to be cautious when engaging in online financial transactions and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities.