Thai actress Nana Rybena arrested for fraud in loan scheme, 17 victims reported

Rybena Intachai, also known as Nana Rybena, a 44-year-old Thai actress, was arrested by Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECSD) officers on Wednesday at her residence in central Bangkok. She faces charges of fraud and violating the Emergency Decree on Money Lending, specifically regarding a fraudulent loan scheme. The police action followed multiple complaints from victims who reported their involvement in Rybena’s schemes.

Saiyud Pengbunchu, Rybena’s lawyer, noted that on December 1, he had brought Rybena to voluntarily surrender to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), to show her willingness to enter the judicial process and to clear up any confusion. However, the police delayed accepting her surrender, and on the following day, they issued an arrest warrant. Rybena was taken into custody early this morning (December 3).

Saiyud expressed concern over the wasted resources in sending 10 officers to apprehend Rybena, explaining that she had already voluntarily attempted to surrender before the arrest warrant was issued.

Details of the Fraud Scheme

The arrest follows a detailed investigation by the ECSD, which revealed that Rybena had fraudulently encouraged individuals to invest in several business ventures. These included:

1. A personal loan business promising 4-7% monthly returns
2. Stock trading with prominent figures in the trading world
3. Investments in basketball business shares, foreign restaurants, and other businesses
4. Investments in family-owned business funds

Rybena used her celebrity status and trust within her network of friends and school parents to convince them to invest. In the initial stages, some victims did receive returns as promised, but by February 2025, payments ceased. Rybena claimed that the government had frozen her accounts, preventing her from fulfilling the payments.

When questioned, she issued cheques to refund the investments and dividends, but these cheques were rejected by the bank due to insufficient funds in the account. The total losses from the scheme have been estimated at over 190 million baht.

The investigation also uncovered that Rybena had forged bank transfer slips and fake documents for share transfers related to her hair salon business, using the funds received from investors to pay returns to other investors, thus operating a classic Ponzi scheme. This is a clear violation of the Emergency Decree on Money Lending, specifically fraudulent lending to the public.

Rybena has denied all charges against her, claiming that she had no fraudulent intent. The case is ongoing, and the police are preparing further investigation.