Thai Parents Report Fraud Over Fake Chinese Summer Course
Parents report that a prominent Thai language institute defrauded families by selling spots in a fake Chinese summer program in Chongqing, causing financial losses exceeding one million baht. Victims filed complaints with the Consumer Protection Bureau after the institute failed to provide tickets or invitation letters and later postponed the trip. Investigators are now gathering evidence as the institute remains unresponsive.
Parents have complained that a well-known language institute defrauded them by enrolling families in a Chinese summer course, causing damages in the millions. A popular page exposed the institute’s practices, which have allegedly continued for two years, while the home university issued a statement.
At 10:00 a.m. on October 12, 2026, eleven representatives of the victims—students and parents—out of more than fifty affected individuals went to the Crime Suppression Division’s Consumer Protection Bureau to file a complaint after falling victim to the institute’s short‑term Chinese language program in China. The institute, a prominent private language school, had advertised a short Chinese course in Chongqing, People’s Republic of China, scheduled for October 10‑24, 2026, charging families 30,000–50,000 baht each.
As the departure date approached, victims reported not receiving airline tickets or invitation letters. On October 8, the institute announced a postponement to October 12‑26 and suddenly changed the name of the host university.
A Thai coordinator later presented a clarification letter from a vocational college in Chongqing stating that the college had not collaborated with the institute, and the host university had not sent the required documents or payment details for the students. Consequently, the victims split into two groups: one that decided to travel despite receiving only partial tickets, and another that sought refunds but was cut off—blocked from communication channels, removed from Line groups, and hidden from the institute’s Facebook page.
Nearly eighty participants in the institute’s Line group began communicating among themselves; about fifty said they no longer wished to travel and demanded refunds, but could not reach the institute’s representatives.
Additionally, the well‑known warning page “Luijeen” alleged that the institute has been abandoning customers for two years, and had previously organized a Chinese‑language competition promising prizes of 5,000–20,000 baht to attract schools nationwide, only to withhold the prizes from winners.
So far, twenty‑nine victims have submitted evidence online and complained to the Office of the Consumer Protection Board, reporting total losses exceeding 1,130,000 baht. Bank transfer records show money deposited into a Siam Commercial Bank account under the name “XXXX Language Institute.” Most victims are aged fifteen and above, including adults who wanted to study Chinese.
As of now, the institute remains unreachable despite online police reports and complaints to the consumer protection office. Fearing no progress, the victims arranged to meet investigators from the Consumer Protection Bureau today. Officers have begun interviewing the victims’ representatives to gather information for further action.
