PATTAYA, Thailand – A passport scam involving over 100 foreign tourists who had enrolled in language classes in Pattaya was exposed by the police on December 20, 2023. The tourists, from more than 10 different countries, said they had given their passports and paid about 32,000 Thai Baht to an agent, who was introduced by Ms. Supawadee, 33, to extend their visas at the immigration office, but they never got their passports back. Some of them were forced to overstay their visas in the kingdom and faced legal consequences.
The tourists tried to contact the agent and get their passports back, but to no avail. The scam was revealed when Ms. Chanidapha Thowasakul, 36, a representative of the language school, and more than 30 foreign nationals, informed the police that Ms. Supawadee had seized their passports and had allegedly thrown away several more belonging to other tourists.
They then arranged a meeting with Supawadee, who agreed to return their passports without having to refund the money paid for the services. However, the meeting turned out to be a ploy, as the authorities who accompanied the group to the agency apprehended Supawadee and brought her to the police station for questioning.
Ms. Supawadee denied any involvement in the scam and claimed that she was only a middleman. The police are investigating the case and gathering evidence to identify and arrest the main culprit. The police are also assisting the tourists to obtain new passports and resolve their visa issues.
