Pattaya Visa Scam: Hundreds Swindled, Overstays Reported

(CTN News) – An unscrupulous visa extension agency in Pattaya is responsible for the financial fraud of hundreds of victims, some of whom were foreign nationals unlawfully overstayed in the Kingdom.

Suphawadee, 33 years old (last name withheld), was taken to the Pattaya City Police Station today by 36-year-old Chanidapha Thowasakul, who was representing over 30 victims, some of whom were international visitors.

Pattaya Police Gather Evidence Against Visa Scammers

According to the victims’ report to the Pattaya City Police, the accused took forty passports from the victims and did not return them after they requested visa extensions at the Immigration Office. Because of this, people from other countries remained in the Kingdom for too long.

The concerned visitors, who had paid around 32,000 baht (US$ 916) each, had contacted Chanidapha’s language school, but they were not discovered in their records.

As a result, investigations uncovered over a hundred victims from ten different nations, which has had a major influence on the tourism industry’s reputation, according to KhaoSod.

Several lawsuits and forced repatriations ensued after the detention of visitors for exceeding the 90-day limit in the Kingdom. The victims intended to meet with the deceitful agency to surrender their passports but did not want a refund.

When the victims discovered that the agency was about to throw away a bunch of passports, they started negotiating to get them returned to all the travelers.

Despite the defendants’ denials of all charges, the authorities continued to collect evidence against the scam artist who had tricked more than a hundred tourists. The court process will go on.

Relatedly, 110 corrupt immigration officers were implicated in a huge visa scam that the Royal Thai Police (RTP) exposed.

During a news conference at the Police Club, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, the Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), revealed details of the illicit operation. Foreigners, particularly Chinese investors, were fraudulently granted visas by the corrupt police.

Legally giving visas to foreigners, particularly Chinese investors seeking to do business in Thailand, the renegade officials allegedly worked with local visa businesses, as stated by Big Joke.