SURAT THANI: The Provincial Police have arrested six people from a travel agency for fraud after they allegedly sold bogus overseas package tours to at least 99 people, causing damage worth 27 million baht.
Tourist Police Bureau Division 3 commander, Pol Maj Gen Krit Warit, said Sumontri Sonnong, Phanuda Thepchum, Kobsak Pensawat, and Wongchan Pensawat, along with two unidentified staff members, were all arrested on June 4.
They were later charged with fraud and inputting fake data into a computer system. They denied the charges.
Surat Thani Provincial Police chief, Pol Maj Gen Saranyu Chamnanrat, said the suspects legally registered their travel agency in 2022 to provide tour packages; however, they sold fake package tours.
He said the company advertised very cheap package tours to many popular overseas destinations, such as Japan, the Netherlands, and five Central European countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Hungary.
These packages were sold on their Facebook page and were much cheaper than the packages being offered by other tour agents, the provincial police chief said.
The agency claimed it could offer low prices because it was sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which was a lie, he added.
Victims purchased tours and later learnt that they were cheated on the day of departure.
The suspects are all aged between 40-60 years old and are natives of Phun Phin, Ban Ta Khun and Kanchanadit districts.
According to Pol Maj Gen Saranyu, at least 99 victims have filed complaints with the Surat Thani Provincial Police Division or at the Kanchanadit Police Station, claiming damages totalling about 25.8 million baht.