BANGKOK, Jan 6 (TNA) – Hundreds of victims of an alleged overseas job scam have filed complaints with Thai police, accusing a woman of defrauding them of millions of baht.
Around 250 Thai workers presented evidence to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) after being allegedly deceived by a woman identified as Ms. Oi, who claimed to be able to secure agricultural work abroad.
The group had been scheduled to depart from Suvarnabhumi Airport on January 4, but upon checking with the airline, discovered that no flight reservations had been made. The victims initially filed a report with Suvarnabhumi Police, who advised them to escalate the matter to the CSD due to the large number of victims and the widespread nature of the alleged fraud.
One victim said Ms. Oi claimed to have connections with an operations officer named “Fah” at the Australian Embassy in Thailand, who could facilitate work visas for jobs in agriculture, hotels, and restaurants. Enticed by the promise of a monthly income of 90,000 baht (approximately $2,600 USD) after expenses, the victims took out loans to pay fees ranging from 100,000 to over 200,000 baht.
The payment scheme involved an initial installment of 60,000 baht, with the remainder to be deducted from their future salaries at a rate of 10,000 baht per month. They were told this would secure them a five-year work visa, with the option to extend it to 10 years for an additional fee.
However, on the scheduled departure date of January 4, Ms. Oi informed them that the necessary documents were not yet ready and that their departure would be postponed to January 10 pending confirmation from Australia.
Upon contacting the airline, they learned no bookings existed, leading them to realize they had been scammed.
She has since become unreachable. Ms. Oi reportedly claimed to have transferred the funds to “Fah,” the alleged embassy contact, whom the victims have never met or contacted, raising doubts about her existence.
In a separate development, Ms. Oi’s uncle, who claims to be a victim of the same scheme, visited her house in the Bang Na area of Bangkok.
He found no sign of Ms. Oi or her family, but discovered hundreds of passports left behind in the house. He has collected the passports and intends to return them to the victims to demonstrate his own lack of involvement in the alleged scam.
Police are continuing their investigation into the matter. -819 (TNA)
