A 21-year-old Thai TikTok star, known online as “Ploy,” was recently arrested at a border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo Province. With over 36,000 followers, Ploy gained infamy in July when she was caught stealing valuables worth around 330,000 baht ($9,000) from her ex-boyfriend’s home. Her arrest on September 21 marked the end of a dramatic attempt to flee to a neighboring country, where she became entangled in a criminal underworld of call center scams.
Ploy’s saga began with a simple case of theft. Facing severe financial issues due to an addiction to online gambling, she broke into her ex-boyfriend’s house and stole approximately 60,000 baht ($1,600) in cash and valuables. With the crime caught on CCTV, police issued a warrant for her arrest on charges of “theft in a residence and damaging protective barriers for persons or property.” Rather than face justice, she escaped across the border and became involved in a call center scam operation.
During her confession, Ploy revealed that she had joined a call center scam in exchange for a salary of 25,000 baht ($700) per month, with potential bonuses based on successful scams. Working out of a 25-story building, she was tasked with luring victims into fraudulent schemes by creating fake social media profiles, establishing trust over weeks, and then convincing them to join fake investment or e-commerce projects.
As her case gained media attention, Ploy was forced to change offices multiple times, eventually working in smaller-scale operations. She described how the scams evolved—posing as an online lover or investment advisor, manipulating victims into losing large sums of money. In one instance, a colleague managed to swindle a nurse out of 5 million baht ($140,000). Ploy admitted she had successfully scammed at least one person out of 25,000 baht ($700) herself.
Adding to her nightmare, Ploy claimed she was coerced into becoming the mistress of her Thai boss at one of the call centers. She refused his advances, leading to her being fired. Desperate for work, she quickly moved to another call center that specialized in stock trading scams.
After two months on the run, police finally apprehended her. Reflecting on her downward spiral, Ploy expressed regret, stating she initially only intended to earn enough money to pay off her debts but found herself deeper in the criminal world than she ever imagined.
The head of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police, Police Major General Teeradech Thammasutee, confirmed Ploy’s arrest and her confession. He stated that further investigations would focus on dismantling the broader network of call center scams, which have been thriving in neighboring countries.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about these scam operations to report it to the police through their official Facebook page, which operates 24/7.
