Thai forces detain 14 Thais after escape from job scam in Cambodia
Fourteen Thai nationals, nine men and five women, were intercepted on a natural route in Aranyaprathet, Sa Kaeo, after allegedly being lured to work for an online gambling operation in Bavet and later fleeing to Poipet to try to return home.
- Thai forces detained 14 Thai nationals as they illegally crossed the border from Cambodia into Thailand's Sa Kaeo province.
- The group was escaping a fraudulent job working for an online gambling website in Cambodia, where they had been lured with a false promise of a 25,000 baht monthly salary.
- Their decision to flee was prompted by physical assault and having their pay deducted for failing to meet work targets.
- After escaping their workplace, they paid a broker 2,500 baht each to arrange their return to Thailand via a natural route, where they were ultimately arrested.
The Burapa Task Force deployed personnel on a patrol to prevent and intercept illegal activities along the Thai–Cambodian border in their area of responsibility along natural routes at 7.30pm on Tuesday (January 20).
During the patrol, officers spotted 14 suspected persons (inbound) walking along a natural route between Observation Point 39 and Observation Point 40, at Ban Mai Pak Hong, Moo 8, Khlong Nam Sai subdistrict, Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province.
Officers identified themselves and conducted checks.
The checks found that all were 14 Thai nationals (nine men and five women).
Officers found 13 Thai national identity cards and one document for a person with no legal civil registration status.
All admitted they had illegally crossed on foot from Cambodia into Thailand via a natural route to return home after being lured into working for an online gambling website, and later being physically assaulted.
In preliminary questioning, all 14 Thais stated that in late November 2025, they were approached by an administrator of a Facebook page via the Facebook application and persuaded to work as administrators for an online gambling website in Cambodia, with an offer of 25,000 baht per month.
They decided to go, and were picked up by a driver from their hometowns and taken to illegally cross the border via a natural route in Sa Kaeo province.
They were later taken to work in Bavet, Svay Rieng province.
Once they began work, if they failed to meet targets, their pay would be deducted, and they would be physically assaulted.
They therefore decided to flee on January 18 and travelled onwards to Poipet, Banteay Meanchey province, to find a way back to Thailand.
They paid 2,500 baht per person, hoping to return to Thailand, but were arrested.
The group then contacted a Thai man known as “Win” (surname unknown) in Poipet to arrange a route back to Thailand, for THB2,500 per person.
They were taken to Tuol Pongro, Malai district, Banteay Meanchey province, and told to walk along a natural route into Thailand.
They were then detected and arrested by Thai authorities as stated above.
No escort was found at the time of arrest.
After being taken into custody, the officers brought all 14 Thais for further questioning at Ranger Company 1206, and then handed them over to Khlong Nam Sai Police Station for legal proceedings.
