A 68-year-old British retiree named Simon Charles Hill lost practically all his savings and became homeless in Thailand after falling for an online romance scam. The criminals posed as an American woman named Emily Smith to carry out the scam.
Simon Charles Hill, who worked as a flight operator for the United Nations and is originally from Luton, in the United Kingdom, had moved to Bangkok 11 years ago. He was living comfortably on his state pension until, after separating from his Thai wife, he started living alone and met the supposed Emily through social media.
According to the retiree, the woman contacted him on Facebook and quickly established a relationship of emotional closeness. She claimed to be studying, and during approximately five months, Hill transferred almost all of his monthly pension to the scammers, resulting in the loss of his savings and his homeless situation.
