CHIANG RAI – A 23-year-old handicapped woman who lives with polio has spoken about her escape from a scam operation in Cambodia. Her father later brought her to thank the police in Chiang Rai after officers coordinated help to bring her home safely.
The woman, Miss Naphatsara,23, said she used to work in Bangkok as an admin handling customer contacts for a private company. After she lost her job, she searched for new work online.
She then found a Facebook post advertising an admin position in Sa Kaeo with a 20,000-baht monthly salary. She applied and was told to meet for a ride at a shopping mall in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao area. She left on February 12, 2026, expecting to travel to Sa Kaeo for work.
During the trip, she noticed about five to six other people going for the same job. However, after arriving in Sa Kaeo, the group was taken to another shopping area and then moved again in a pickup truck to an unknown sugarcane field.
Forced across the border into Poipet
She said the group was forced to run through the sugarcane field to cross the border. Because she has a mobility disability (polio), she had to move by hopping and struggling to keep up. Once they reached the end of the field, four Cambodian men met them and took them by pickup truck into Poipet, Cambodia.
From there, she said they were brought to a scam building. The group’s ID cards and phones were taken, so her family couldn’t contact her. She also said the scammers forced her to complete face scans through a banking app on her phone at least three times to move money in and out.
She recalled seeing many Thai people inside the building, around 30 to 40. She said some tried to escape, and later, people talked about setting the building on fire to get out. She said she felt terrified and only wanted to go home.
On February 16, she said the group moved her to Grand Pailin Casino & Resort in Pailin, near Poipet. This time, she said she got her phone and personal documents back. Using the hotel Wi-Fi, she contacted her father, then asked for help through police channels, including coordination with regional police.
She also said she heard that Thai victims left behind at the original Poipet building later rose and set it on fire. When the fire spread, many ran out, and some managed to cross back into Thailand.
Escape back to Thailand with five others.
When she saw an opening, she fled with five other Thai nationals. They took a hired vehicle to a bamboo grove near the border, then ran back into Thailand. Thai soldiers stationed in the area helped them reach safety in Sa Kaeo.
Authorities then sent the group for screening. They also paid fines related to illegal border crossing. After that, each person returned to their home province.
Back in Chiang Rai, Naphatsara filed a complaint at Chiang Saen Police Station. She said the job offer turned into being taken abroad and treated as a trafficking victim.
Police leadership in Chiang Rai said they were glad the family reunited safely. They also warned the public to be careful with Facebook job ads that promise easy work, no skills needed, and unusually high pay, such as 20,000 to 40,000 baht a month.
They said this case shows a common pattern. Recruiters arrange transport from Bangkok to Sa Kaeo, then move victims toward the Thai-Cambodian border, a high-risk area, before taking them into a neighboring country.
Police said investigators will interview the victim and follow screening steps to review evidence and proceed under the proper process.
