Chinese wine fraudster arrested in Bangkok

A Chinese man, identified only as Ming, has been arrested in Bangkok after fleeing his home country where he is wanted on fraud charges after duping wine retailers out of CNY 2 million.

Thai authorities have arrested a man in Bangkok who allegedly fled China to escape arrest.

Identified only as Ming, the man was arrested in Bangkok for working illegally and overstaying his visa. Bangkok Post reported.

The suspect, a 42-year-old man, was apprehended by authorities in the lobby of a hotel in Chatuchak district, immigration officials said Friday. The arrest was made following a tip-off to the Thai immigration office about a foreigner, who appeared to be Chinese, working and staying illegally in Bangkok.

According to immigration police, he was offering private tours to Chinese tourists visiting the city and was apprehended while checking guests into a hotel in the area. He was believed to be residing in a condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng area.

When asked to produce legal documents, officers found that his visa had expired on February 3.

According to Chinese authorities, Ming is wanted for fraud crimes committed in China in January last year, where he claimed to be a sales director of a wine company. He allegedly deceived retailers by offering to sell them rare wines at a 10% discount. However, after receiving the money, the wine was never supplied to retailers, according to Chinese authorities. The victims lost around CNY2 million (£216,559), immigration officials said.

Last year, researchers created an AI tool that could detect wine fraud by tracing compounds found in wine to specific châteaux. This could have the effect of reducing the number of counterfeit wines found on the market. Learn more about it here.