A 23-year-old woman from Chiang Rai who lives with polio has described her ordeal after being lured into a scam operation in Cambodia before escaping back to Thailand. Miss Naphatsara said she was deceived by a Facebook job advertisement and later reunited with her family following police coordination. Her father brought her to meet officers to express gratitude for their role in securing her safe return.

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Naphatsara previously worked in Bangkok as administrative staff handling customer contacts for a private company. After losing her job, she searched online for employment and found an advert offering an administrative role in Sa Kaeo with a salary of 20,000 baht per month. She was told to meet for transport at a shopping mall in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao area and departed on 12 February 2026, believing she was travelling for legitimate work.

She noticed five to six other applicants during the journey. Upon arrival in Sa Kaeo, the group was taken to another shopping area, transferred to a pickup truck and driven to a sugarcane field in an unfamiliar location. They were allegedly forced to run through the field to cross the Thai-Cambodian border illegally.

Due to mobility difficulties caused by polio, Naphatsara struggled to keep up, moving by hopping as she followed the group. Four Cambodian men reportedly met them at the edge of the field and transported them to Poipet. There, she said, they were confined in a building used for scam operations along with approximately 30 to 40 Thai nationals.

Identification cards and mobile phones were confiscated, cutting contact with families. She claimed the group was forced to complete repeated facial scans through a banking application on her phone to facilitate money transfers. Naphatsara said she heard of attempted escapes and discussions about setting the building on fire, describing her fear and determination to return home.

On 16 February, she was moved to the Grand Pailin Casino & Resort near the border. At this location, her phone and documents were returned, allowing her to contact her father via the hotel’s Wi-Fi. He then sought police assistance, prompting coordination with regional authorities.

She later heard that Thai victims left behind at the Poipet building set it on fire, creating chaos that enabled some captives to flee. Seizing a later opportunity, Naphatsara escaped with five other Thai nationals, hiring a vehicle to take them to a bamboo grove near the border before running back into Thailand. Thai soldiers assisted them and escorted them to safety in Sa Kaeo.

The group underwent official screening and paid fines related to illegal border crossings before returning to their home provinces. After arriving home, Naphatsara filed a complaint at Chiang Saen Police Station, stating the job offer resulted in her being taken abroad and treated as a human trafficking victim.

The Nation reported that police in Chiang Rai warned the public to be cautious of Facebook job adverts promising easy work, no qualifications and salaries between 20,000 and 40,000 baht per month. Authorities said the case reflects a common recruitment pattern involving transport from Bangkok to Sa Kaeo before victims are moved across the Thai-Cambodian border. Investigators are gathering evidence and proceeding under established screening and legal procedures.

Picture courtesy ofThe Nation

Key Takeaways

• A 23-year-old woman with polio was lured by a Facebook job advert and taken to a scam compound in Poipet.

• She escaped on 16 February after contacting her father from the Grand Pailin Casino & Resort.

• Police warn of a common recruitment pattern moving victims from Bangkok to Sa Kaeo and across the border.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Nation 26 Feb 2026

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This story has a lot of holes:

She was abducted and taken across the border by some people, who then confiscated her phone, but then gave it back to her at a hotel (they didn't think she'd contact someone??).

Her father "sought police assistance, prompting coordination with regional authorities" but these authorities seemingly did nothing as the lady then had to escape the hotel by hiring a driver to take them to a bamboo grove, where they then crossed back into Thailand.

Also, she apparently escaped AFTER hearing about the previous building being set on fire, which she "heard about". Didn't she say those people didn't have phones - who was she contacting? And to top it all off, they were fined for an illegal crossing!? Would Thai authorities really fine a victim of human trafficking?