Fake Lay Follower Defrauds Multiple Temples in Buriram
A woman posing as a lay follower has defrauded monks at multiple temples in Nang Rong district, Buriram province, by feigning family emergencies to borrow money. She stole amounts ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of baht from several abbots and senior monks, promising repayment within two weeks but disappearing after returning only a fraction. Police are being alerted and temples are warned to be cautious.
A fraudster is on the loose. A woman posing as a lay follower entered temples with a tearful face, telling lies to borrow money from monks at several temples. Even an abbot fell victim before she vanished into thin air.
On November 14, 2026, reporters revealed that senior monks and abbots at multiple temples in Nang Rong district, Buriram province, have fallen prey to a cunning female swindler aged approximately 40 to 45. She traveled from temple to temple, using the ruse that she was in dire straits — her child had an accident and needed hospital care, or she had debts — causing several monks to believe her out of compassion and lend her money. But the woman never returned the money as promised, and her phone became unreachable. Monks lost substantial amounts ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of baht.
According to Phra Athikan Uan Thanchalo, abbot of Wat Rat Pradit (also known as Wat Nong Chae Mai) in Sadao subdistrict, Nang Rong district, around early 2025 a woman came to the temple claiming she followed Luang Por's Facebook page, which shares Buddhist teachings. She then put on a sorrowful face and fabricated a story about her daughter owing someone about 3,000 baht, asking the abbot for a loan to solve her daughter's problem. At the time, Luang Por had only 1,000 baht — money set aside for offerings — but the woman insisted on 3,000 baht. The abbot borrowed another 2,000 baht from a novice monk to make up the full amount, feeling pity because she appeared so distressed. Before handing over the money, Luang Por asked to take a photo and document the loan as evidence, but the woman refused, saying a contract was unnecessary and promising verbally to repay within two weeks.
When two weeks passed with no contact, the abbot called her himself. She returned only 300 baht, claiming it was interest payment first. The abbot said he did not want interest, only the principal returned, because he needed to repay the novice. After that, the woman could no longer be reached.
Later it emerged that the same woman had deceived monks and abbots at several other temples using the same tearful act and similar fabricated family crises — some claiming a child had an accident and was hospitalized. Reports indicate multiple monks and abbots were cheated out of thousands to tens of thousands of baht each. Because the monks believed her out of compassion, they were ultimately swindled. The abbot appeals to the woman: if she still has a conscience or fears the sin of deceiving monks, she should return the money. He also warns monks at other temples to be vigilant and not fall for this swindler's tricks.
