The winner of Mister Universe Thailand 2026 warned travellers about a suspected taxi scam in Manila, the Philippines, after losing his mobile phone.
The pageant winner, Nattirut “Alex” Srichatwanit, shared details of the incident on Facebook, explaining that the theft took place in Manila on June 13 while he was travelling with Meriza “Risa” Meier, first runner-up of Miss Universe Sa Kaeo 2025.
According to Alex, he and Risa were looking for transport to their accommodation when they spotted a taxi parked outside a convenience store and approached the driver.
The driver allegedly refused to use the meter and instead offered a fixed fare. Alex and Risa agreed to the arrangement and entered the vehicle.
Shortly after the journey began, the driver reportedly said he could not continue because of a vehicle problem. According to Alex, the driver then contacted another taxi driver to continue the trip.
The second driver allegedly said he was unfamiliar with the route to their accommodation. Alex said he opened a map on his iPhone 17 Pro Max and handed the device to the driver to help with navigation.
Alex said the second driver later told them he could not continue the trip and asked them to get out of the vehicle. The driver then called a third taxi.
According to Alex, the second driver asked to borrow his phone again to show the route to the third driver. He agreed and handed over the device while preparing to leave the vehicle.
When Alex and Risa were about to board the third taxi, both drivers allegedly sped away with the phone still in their possession.
Alex said a fourth taxi driver approached almost immediately and offered to take them to a police station to report the incident.
The beauty pageant winner said he became suspicious that the four drivers may have been working together as part of a coordinated scam, so he declined the offer.
Instead, Alex and Risa walked away from the area and asked for directions until they reached a police station on their own.
According to Alex, police officers in the Philippines responded quickly and cooperatively. He said officers accompanied him and Risa back to the location where the incident occurred and helped secure CCTV footage as evidence.
Alex said his phone has not yet been recovered. Police are reportedly tracking the registered owners of the taxis involved as part of the investigation.
Following the incident, Alex urged travellers to remain cautious and avoid handing mobile phones to strangers. He also advised people travelling abroad to use trusted ride-hailing applications instead of street taxis whenever possible.
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