Noodle Vendor Duped by Fake Fortune Teller Demanding Thousands
A foreign man posing as a Buddhist scholar and fortune teller convinced a noodle vendor in Nonthaburi that she was cursed, then scammed her out of nearly 3,000 baht for a fake purification ritual before threatening her when she demanded a r
On August 17, 2025, at Bang Bua Thong Police Station in Nonthaburi Province, a 30-year-old noodle shop owner reported being defrauded by a foreign man claiming to be a respected Buddhist scholar and fortune teller. According to her account, on August 15 at around 11:20 am, a tall foreign man in his 50s wearing a headwrap approached her shop. He claimed he had seen spiritual entities attached to her and offered to help by performing a fortune reading. He made remarkably accurate predictions about her family, convincing her he possessed genuine spiritual powers. He charged 300 baht for the initial reading (200 baht for divination and 100 baht as an offering). During the reading, he had her place her palms together, and when he pressed his palms against hers, he claimed the numbers 531 appeared, indicating she needed to undergo a purification ritual to receive good fortune.
The man then persuaded her to pay 4,900 baht—later reduced to 2,900 baht—for a merit-making ceremony to remove malevolent spirits. The shop owner, feeling confused and disoriented, complied and made a bank transfer. After the man left, she came to her senses and realized she had been duped. When she called the number he provided to demand a refund, he threatened her, claiming she was disgracing his reputation, and told her to wait nine days for her life to improve. The victim noted that the predicted numbers 531 seemed designed to encourage her to buy a lottery ticket for the next draw, raising further suspicion of a scam. She filed a police report to prevent him from defrauding others.
