A family of 16 became victims of a fraudulent travel scheme after paying 700,000 baht for what they believed was an all-inclusive week-long tour to Harbin, China. The trip, scheduled from December 28 to January 2, was arranged through a travel agent known only as “Frame.” However, upon arrival in China, the family discovered they had to organize almost everything themselves.
Chonchanok, one of the affected travelers, detailed the harrowing experience in a Facebook post on January 17. According to her, the package was advertised to cover flights, hotels, transportation, attraction tickets, insurance, and even a special New Year countdown event. Instead, chaos ensued from the moment they landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
At the airport, Frame informed the group that there had been a booking error and that their flight tickets couldn’t be located. With no viable alternatives and the risk of the trip falling apart, Chonchanok ended up spending over 200,000 baht out-of-pocket to purchase new tickets from Bangkok to Beijing. Frame assured her the money would be reimbursed within three days—but that promise was never fulfilled.
The troubles compounded during transit. Frame and the family flew separately, resulting in missed connections between Beijing and Harbin. This forced the family to spend more money on last-minute flights. Upon finally reaching Harbin, the promised shuttle service failed to arrive. Frame instead offered access to an old van, whose driver abandoned the family mid-journey due to nonpayment. Once again, Chonchanok had to push Frame to send funds so the trip could proceed.
Accommodation turned out to be another issue: the four-star hotel supposedly reserved under the package deal hadn’t actually been booked. The family scrambled to find and pay for lodging themselves. Entry tickets to key tourist sites were also unpaid, which led to delays or complete misses of scheduled attractions.
Things took a darker turn when Chonchanok’s sister injured her foot on damaged flooring inside one of the locations. Despite the inclusion of travel insurance in the package, Frame allegedly responded by handing over nothing more than a saline solution. Left with no choice, the family improvised by using sanitary pads to manage the bleeding wound.
Concerned about getting home safely, Chonchanok repeatedly questioned Frame about the return flights. Only near the end of the trip did Frame admit that she hadn’t made any arrangements for the return journey, securing just two or three tickets at a time shortly before departure.
Once back in Thailand, Chonchanok brought Frame directly to the Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station. Although Frame once again promised reimbursement, she quickly went silent afterward.
Following the widespread attention generated by Chonchanok’s social media post, additional individuals came forward claiming they too had been deceived. Some alleged that their payments were misused to subsidize Chonchanok’s family vacation. Thai authorities have launched an investigation into the matter, but as of now, no formal charges have been filed and questions regarding compensation remain unanswered.
