A Monk Was Running a Romance Scam

🌡️ Weather: 27-29°C (81-84°F). Cool and rainy. TMD warns of heavy to very heavy rain through July 30 as Typhoon Noul strengthens the southwest monsoon. Flash floods and rough seas. Morning is the drier window.

🌫️ Air Quality: 68-122 (Good to Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups). At the lower end, clean air.

🗞️ TOP STORY

A MONK WAS HIDING IN A CHATUCHAK TEMPLE. HE WAS RUNNING A ROMANCE SCAM.

Police arrested a monk at a temple in Chatuchak district after investigators traced a bank account used in an online romance scam operation back to him. The monk had opened the account under his own name, and it was used to receive funds from victims who believed they were sending money to someone they were in a romantic relationship with. When officers tracked the account holder, they found him where most people would not think to look: inside a working Buddhist temple in one of Bangkok's busiest districts. He was arrested without incident.

The story works on two levels. The first is the absurdity of the image: a man in robes, living inside a temple, running a scam that exploits loneliness and trust for financial gain. The second is what it reveals about how romance scam networks operate. They need bank accounts. Every scam that moves money electronically requires someone to open an account, receive the funds and transfer them onward. The person who opens the account is often not the mastermind. They are a link in a chain, recruited or coerced into providing their identity and banking access in exchange for a cut. Whether this monk was an organizer or a facilitator, the fact that a temple was used as a hiding place tells you how broadly these networks cast for cover. Bangkok police have been dismantling call-center scams, romance fraud rings and nominee operations all year. Finding one operating from inside a wat is a new entry on that list.

Bottom line: If someone you have never met in person asks you to send money, the person receiving it could be anyone. Including, apparently, a monk in a Chatuchak temple. Romance scams work because they exploit trust. The monk's arrest is a reminder that the person on the other end of the screen is never who you think they are.

The skin around your eyes ages decades faster than the rest of your face. Collagen declines, hydration drops, and tissue becomes thinner and more fragile — leading to fine lines, crepiness, and a loss of firmness that's hard to ignore.

The OS-01 EYE Cream from OneSkin was formulated for this ultra-vulnerable area. Its highly potent concentration of the OS-01 Peptide™ — a patented molecule engineered by longevity scientists to target senescent cells, which accumulate faster in eye skin — means visible results: smoother texture, fewer fine lines and more resilient skin.

In lab studies, OS-01 EYE increased collagen by +130%*, supporting the structural foundation that healthy skin needs for firmness and volume. And with 100% of participants reporting improved overall appearance and 96% reporting better hydration, the results speak for themselves.**

Save 15% with code COLLAGEN15

^{*Explore the claims at oneskin.co
**Based on a third-party 12-month clinical study with 23 participants aged 47–60.}

TMD WARNS OF HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAIN THROUGH JULY 30. TYPHOON NOUL IS STRENGTHENING THE MONSOON. PLUS: THREE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK.

The Thai Meteorological Department has issued its most serious weather warning of the month. Typhoon Noul, tracking toward southern China, is strengthening the southwest monsoon across Thailand and driving heavy to very heavy rainfall through July 30. Flash floods and forest runoff are expected across the North, Northeast, Central and Eastern regions. Rough seas in the Andaman and Gulf of Thailand, with waves reaching 3-4 meters, have prompted warnings for small boats to stay ashore. Bangkok is directly in the rain band, and localized flooding is possible in low-lying areas and near canals through the week.

The weather coincides with three consecutive public holidays: King Vajiralongkorn's Birthday on Tuesday July 28, Asanha Bucha Day on Wednesday July 29, and Khao Phansa (the beginning of Buddhist Lent) on Thursday July 30. Combined with the weekend, most offices and many businesses will be closed from Tuesday through Thursday, creating an unofficial five-day break for anyone who takes Friday off. Government offices, banks and many services will be closed or operating on reduced hours. If you need to handle any official paperwork, immigration visits or banking, today is the last full working day before the long weekend. Plan accordingly.

Bottom line: Heavy rain through Wednesday. Three public holidays Tuesday through Thursday. Get your errands done today. Check conditions before any travel. If you are staying in Bangkok, the River of Life festival runs through July 31 across five historic canal walking streets, all free, and operates rain or shine.

Quick note: today's ad is from our partner Superhuman AI. It's been their most popular guide this month and our readers keep clicking it. If it looks interesting, give it a click. Reader clicks are what keep The BKK Insider free every morning, and this one takes two seconds.

The next wave of millionaires will be people who figured out how to make AI work for them.

The window to get ahead is still open. But not for long.

Here are 200+ proven ways to make money with AI in 2026.

Sign up for Superhuman AI, the free daily newsletter read by 1M+ professionals, and get instant access to all 200+ ways to profit from AI this year.

Claim your free list

⚡ QUICK HITS

A French man died after a knife confrontation in Bangkok. Thaiger confirmed July 25. A French national was fatally stabbed during an altercation in the capital. Police detained a suspect. Details are still emerging, and the investigation is ongoing.

Bangkok police detained a suspect over the theft of an Italian tourist's bag. Confirmed July 26. The arrest follows a week of heightened attention on tourist safety after the BTS Italian students incident. Police are publicly demonstrating that crimes against tourists are being pursued.

Thai baht at 15-month low of 33.848 per dollar. Kasikorn Research Center attributed the weakness to a stronger US dollar and Middle East tensions. For expats earning in dollars, the exchange rate is the most favorable it has been since April last year. For those earning in baht, imported goods just got more expensive.

SRT Bangkok Connex launches Friday August 1. New air-conditioned commuter train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Daily service. Five days away. The most comfortable day trip to the ancient capital starts this weekend.

☕ SPOT OF THE DAY

WHITE FLOWER CAFE

White Flower Cafe sits on Soi Chula 40 in the Pathum Wan university district, and the 4.8-star rating across 2,081 Google reviews tells you a cafe near Chulalongkorn University has earned something most campus-area spots never do: the loyalty of people who do not go there because it is convenient but because it is genuinely good. The menu covers a wider range than most cafes attempt: Thai tea crepe cake, mango sticky rice, clam au gratin with French bread, spaghetti carbonara, pad thai koong, penne with pink salmon cream sauce, and a grilled pork spicy salad that has no business being this good at a place with "cafe" in the name. The yuzu coffee and the coconut coffee are the signature drinks.

What reviewers keep returning to is the balance: beautiful presentation without inflated prices, creative dishes without sacrificing flavor, and genuine options for vegetarians and vegans that feel intentional rather than afterthought. "Delicious, fresh, beautifully presented. There's even an extensive vegan and vegetarian menu. Well worth a visit," one reviewer wrote. On a rainy morning when the long weekend is about to begin and you want somewhere that delivers more than just coffee, White Flower is the kind of cafe that makes the detour worthwhile.

→ See the menu and find them here ←

Insider tip: the Thai tea crepe cake and the yuzu coffee are the signature pairing. However the coconut cake is “the best in the world” according to the website, I’ll let you be the judge. The entire menu is genuinely extensive. Go at 9AM opening for the quietest table.

📍 350 Soi Chula 40, Wang Mai, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330
📞 02 224 8918
🕐 Opens 9AM daily
⭐ 4.8 stars (2,081 Google reviews) | ฿200-400
🌐 whiteflowerbkk.net | 📸 @whiteflowerbkk

Always check opening times before heading out.

📅 WHAT'S ON

See you tomorrow morning.

Reach Bangkok's English-speaking community, every morning. Advertise.