BANGKOK — A Thai man’s elaborate hoax about his pregnant wife dying in the State Audit Office building collapse unraveled spectacularly Monday when the alleged “deceased” showed up very much alive at a police station—revealing she had never met the scammer and had quit the company years earlier.

Scan shows possible survivors in depths of collapsed Bangkok skyscraper

The 50-year-old suspect, whose name police withheld, had become a viral sensation after tearfully claiming on live streams that his eight-months-pregnant spouse was trapped under the rubble. His story—complete with a stolen employee ID card as “proof”—prompted an outpouring of sympathy and 10,000 baht ($275) in donations before the truth exploded.

“He used my name and old work ID to play this cruel game,” fumed the 25-year-old woman at Bang Sue Police Station, where she filed a complaint after relatives bombarded her with calls about her “death.” Surveillance footage later showed the scammer fleeing Mo Chit Bus Terminal as his lies went viral.

Deputy Police Chief Noppasin Poolsawat confirmed the man—a convicted drunk driver with a 2015 record—admitted to fabricating the story but bizarrely claimed he “meant no harm.” Though he returned the donations, authorities charged him with fraud and computer crimes, citing Thailand’s strict laws against disaster exploitation.

The revelation sparked fury among rescue workers still digging through the actual rubble where 17 have died and 77 remain missing. “People like this make our job harder,” growled one volunteer, wiping sweat from his brow near the collapse site

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As the scammer was led to jail, netizens dubbed him “The Crocodile Tears Bandit”—a stark reminder that even in tragedy, some see only opportunity.

-Thailand News (TN)