Several of the strongest relationships in these stories, and several of the worst scams, started the exact same way: a message on a dating app, months of daily conversation, and a flight booked before ever meeting face to face. This page gathers every story where an app or dating site was the actual starting point, not just a detail mentioned in passing. TrueMatchAsia and Thai Friendly are the apps that repeat most in these stories, closely followed by Facebook groups aimed at travelers.
A 54-year-old Austrian had been travelling alone to Thailand for years when he met Aom, a pregnant woman, with no expectations between them. Months later she asked him for 60,000 baht for her mother's hospital bill. Instead of sending the money, he flew to Kanchanaburi to check it out in person.
At 55, after a quiet divorce, a man opens a profile on TrueMatchAsia with no real expectations. There he meets a 27-year-old Thai woman he talks to almost daily for months, until he flies to Bangkok to meet her in person. A story about what actually holds a relationship together when nobody's watching the numbers.