An elderly Waikato man says he felt "bloody stupid" after allegedly being defrauded of nearly $220,000 by two Thai sex workers. 

The man, in his 90s, says it wasn't until one of his daughters heard him on the phone that he had an inkling that Nualpan Coxon, 67, and Pornthip Phonkoed, 63, were ripping him off. 

The complainant, who has name suppression, gave evidence via audio visual link this afternoon on the first day of Coxon and Phonkoed's trial in the Hamilton District Court. 

The accused, both of Auckland, are on trial fighting six charges of obtaining by deception and one of blackmail after allegedly using a naked photo of one them to hand over money after he initially refused. 

Two of the three complainants met the accused after responding to newspaper advertisements selling massages. 

Asked by crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann about whether there were any sexual exchanges during the massages, Mr C said, "yes, it ends up with what they call a happy ending". 

Mr C is one of three complainants who the crown say was defrauded of around $253,000 over two separate periods in 2015 and again between December 2017 and February 2018. 

The first witness, Mr C, a Waikato man aged in his 90s, told the court he saw an advertisement for a massage in a local newspaper for $7. 

He said he was keen to get a massage as he had been having issues with his legs. 

"She then massaged me... that was what I was out looking for." 

Asked by crown prosecutor Rebecca Mann if it happened on more than one occasion, Mr C, said he "got to know the lady" and "she came back several times". 

"We became quite good friends and what-have-you and that was very wonderful." 

It had been six years since he'd seen "Nikki", or Phonkoed, so he couldn't now describe what she looked like, and despite being told initially they were Japanese, he discovered that wasn't true. 

"Things happened that she wasn't actually Japanese ... it became known that she was a Thailand lady," he said. 

There were lots of conversations before she introduced her friend, "Nancy", or Coxon. 

Asked by Mann why he paid the women, Mr C responded, "well, I was bloody stupid". 

Withdrawals or spending at Sky City Casino had never been discussed with him, he said. 

"There has been never any conversation about gambling ... or going to Sky City or anything. That's a negative." 

Instead, he'd been told that Phonkoed had a house in Thailand she was trying to sell and had expected to get around $138,000. However, they kept coming across issues that would require him having to pay them more money. 

He also said the money wasn't to be used for dining out but he did notice one of the accused turned up at his house in some "nice clothes" and he figured that she might have used his money for that. 

Mr C claims that $219,700 of his life savings was defrauded from him between December 2017 and February 2018. 

Defence counsel Russell Boot, for Phonkoed and Rob Quinn, for Coxon, will cross examine Mr C tomorrow. 

Earlier, Mann said the offending periods spanned over two separate periods between August 2015 and November 2015 and August 2017 and February 2018, the pair allegedly defrauded the three male complainants - who have interim name suppression - of around $253,600. 

The accused, both of Auckland, met two of the men after they responded to massage advertisements in the newspaper, and met the other in a retail shop. 

These women came into the lives of some elderly men who they became close to. They then traded on this relationship, of sorts, to obtain money from them, by deceiving them about what they were going to do with the money and claiming they were going to repay it. 

"All in all they defrauded these men of well in excess of $200,000." 

Complainant A lost about $20,000, Mr B lost $13,900 while Mr C allegedly had $219,700 defrauded from him. 

The trial is being overseen by Judge Stephen Clark and is set down for the week. 

- by Belinda Feek, Open Justice