68-Year-Old Brit Loses Pension, Savings in Thailand Romance Scam
68-Year-Old Brit Loses Pension, Savings in Thailand Romance Scam
BANGKOK, Sept. 9, 2026 — A 68-year-old British retiree has returned to the UK after an online romance scam allegedly drained his pension and savings, leaving him homeless and unable to afford food or rent during his final months in Thailand.
Simon Charles Hill, from Luton, had lived in Thailand for 11 years after retiring from his work as a United Nations flight operator. He had been surviving on a British state pension of about £500 a month when he was contacted on Facebook by a person calling herself “Emily Smith”.
The woman, who presented herself as American and whose photographs showed her wearing sportswear, allegedly told Hill that she was due to receive a US$3 million inheritance. She claimed that fees had to be paid before the money could be released and transferred to Hill’s bank account.
Over a period of just under five months, Hill made seven or eight payments, sending much of his pension as soon as it arrived and eventually exhausting his savings.
With no money left for basic expenses, Hill was evicted from his apartment and spent several nights sleeping in the lobby of a hotel in Bangkok’s Surawong area.
Charity Finds Retiree “Very Frail and Weak”
The Bangkok Community Help Foundation (BCHF) found Hill at the hotel on July 9 and described him as “very frail and weak”.
By that stage, he had also overstayed his Thai visa and was living in the country illegally. Hill said he had been advised that he could potentially be placed in immigration detention.
Instead, BCHF took him to its Centre of Dreams shelter, where he received accommodation and support while the organisation raised funds and arranged the documents and logistics needed for his return to Britain.
Friso Poldervaart, 34, a Dutch national and BCHF co-founder, said Hill had occasionally suspected that the online relationship could be a scam but struggled to accept the possibility because the relationship made him feel cared for.
“He lost essentially his entire pension,” Poldervaart said, explaining that Hill transferred almost all of his monthly pension to the scammer before being unable to pay his rent, electricity bills or food expenses.
Hill said he had feared ending up on the streets.
“The conditions on the street are absolutely horrendous,” he said. “I was extremely worried I was going to end up there, but it never happened, thank God.”
BCHF spent nearly two months helping Hill return to the UK. He is now staying in a homeless shelter in London while waiting to enter assisted living.
Police Report Filed in Bangkok
According to BCHF, the people behind the scam are believed to be in Nigeria, while Hill’s money was transferred to a Thai bank account allegedly used as a money-mule account.
Poldervaart said the case was reported to Yan Nawa District Police and information about the Thai account was provided to the bank.
An investigation officer at Yan Nawa Police Station, Acting Police Major Loetchai Phiwlongchai, confirmed that Hill had made an official report in July and that it had been recorded as evidence.
Hill’s case has also raised concerns about how financial exploitation can quickly become an immigration and housing crisis for foreign retirees living abroad. Once his pension and savings were exhausted, his inability to pay for accommodation and onward travel was compounded by his visa overstay.
Poldervaart said recovering Hill’s money was unlikely.
The case is part of a wider pattern of romance scams in which criminals establish emotional relationships online before creating urgent financial reasons for victims to transfer money. Thai authorities have separately warned the public about online romance scams and urged people to be especially cautious when online contacts begin requesting money transfers.
Hill’s experience has left him back in Britain and dependent on charitable support — a dramatic reversal for a retiree who had spent more than a decade building a life in Thailand.
