In March 2022, my mother got scammed after she bought an apartment in Thailand. She just wanted to have a simple and peaceful retirement.
I had done a decent amount of research on the company, we signed the contract in front of a lawyer, etc.
Everything seemed OK, the company was created several years, the CEO did not have any bad reputation.
It took me a while to realize it was a shell company, the CEO was not using her real name, she was the wife of a famous scammer and her father is a former minister of education in Thailand. He has been a long time member of parliament as well.
Hence, why nobody ever got in jail.
I know I have little chance of winning legally, thus I am considering fighting through the press / technology.
Even worse, my mother is not alone, there are thousands of victims : Americans, Chinese, Koreans, Russians, British, Australians, Japanese, Germans, French (like us), as well as a few Thais (and probably more).
The scam is worth between 20 and 50 millions USD, and I don't have any reasons to believe it cannot happen again.
Sadly, for my mother, she is a factory worker, who just turned 60 years, even if I work as a software engineer in France, I don't think I can save money fast enough to offer her a decent retirement.
I don't want to give up on her, and I spent countless hours trying to track down how the scammer got away, hence that's how I got to know who's powerful politician is behind it.
My two questions would be :
1. If you were in my shoes, can you think of any creative ideas to take the battle online? And get as much exposure as possible?
My rationale is as follows : real estate is not a liquid asset, it's hard to build such a fraud in a foreign country, and his network / power depends on Thailand. So hurting his reputation might prompt him to come to the table, negotiating. If not, I can at least save a few potential victims in the future.
One strategy I thought about is getting enough exposure on his name / company / brand. Then pay some people to pretend they are potential investors, only to have them back off from the deal because they found out online, he was a scammer.
The idea being to instill the poison of doubt and make him wonder how much more money he is losing without knowing.
2. Do you know any journalists, ambassadors, or content creator with an audience from any of those countries who would be willing to write about this?
I can provide countless hard evidences, documents and OSINT I have done myself.
I am willing to pay anyone who is willing to spend 30 minutes looking at the documents, and only publish it if they find the evidences convincing and are willing to expose a powerful family.
My mother is a factory worker, she worked all her life, we do not have any plan B.
I am not asking for any money, but there are thousands of victims, and the scammer is free to continue, because most victims choose to remain silent because of the repressive Thai law about defamation.
Sounds like Thailand may not have the legal protections required to make real estate investment safe. Sounds like you did everything carefully and still got scammed. This makes me think Thailand may not be a wise place to buy property.
The site would help reduce future scams like this by steering people to less corrupt places.
And in any country I think off the plan development is highly risky. You are trusting building companies famous for going bankrupt substantial amounts of money. Plus they may not build what they sold you on.
I’d also write one or more long-form articles on a dedicated website—PDFs, images, all the evidence laid out clearly so there’s no doubt it’s real. I’d include a contact phone number and email too.
Then I’d buy some backlinks and make it SEO-friendly so it ranks well on Google.
I’d set up a Facebook page, post updates regularly, and drive people to both the site and the YouTube channel. I’d run Facebook ads for months—whatever I could afford, ideally at least $2k, but the more, the better.
I’d reply to every comment and encourage people to share and speak up.
Once that’s all set up, I’d reach out to media outlets—ask them directly how much it costs to feature my site in their digital editions, and from there, figure out what it takes to get something printed in physical form.
Depending on how things go after the first month, I’d even consider renting 1 or 2 billboards.
1. Taking the Battle Online – Strategies for Exposure Here are a few creative yet responsible ways you could expose the scam:
Documentation Website (OSINT + Testimonies) Create a well-structured website (e.g., thailandpropertyscam.org) that:
Publishes redacted documents, contracts, and communications.
Shares stories from multiple victims (anonymized if necessary).
Maps out relationships (via OSINT) between shell companies and individuals.
Is translated into several languages to target global victims/investors.
Make sure it's SEO-optimized with the scammer’s real name, aliases, company names, and keywords like “Thailand property scam,” “[Company Name] reviews,” etc.
Coordinate with Other Victims Try to organize victims using a private group (Telegram, Signal, or ProtonMail-based email list). With their consent, a class-action type of presence (even informal) gives more weight.
Strategic Disruption Your idea of having fake investors back out after referencing your exposé can work as “reputational attrition.” But be cautious: don't fabricate anything — just share documented truth. Plant seeds of doubt with facts.
Leverage Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok Platforms like:
r/scams, r/Thailand, r/ExpatFIRE, r/RealEstate — have active communities.
A well-produced YouTube video titled “My Mom Got Scammed by a Politician’s Daughter in Thailand” could go viral.
TikTok/Instagram Reels — emotional 30-60 second clips reach wide audiences.
Also post on forums like Expat.com and local-language equivalents in countries of other victims.
2. Finding Journalists / Influencers / Whistleblower Networks A few avenues to explore:
Journalist Networks Forbidden Stories
OCCRP
ICIJ — reach out with your evidence.
Bellingcat — they may be interested in OSINT-related scams.
Freelance Investigative Journalists Post on:
JournoRequests (via Twitter/X)
Help a Reporter Out (HARO)
Indie outlets like Rest of World, Vice World News, and even Asia Sentinel.
Local Influencers and Advocates Thai anti-corruption activists (check Twitter and Facebook).
YouTubers or bloggers in the expat/real estate space.
Retired expats in Thailand often blog about scams — look for bloggers on TeakDoor.com or ThaiVisaForum.com.
A Note on Safety & Censorship Thailand has extremely strict defamation and lèse-majesté laws. Be extremely careful if you host or write anything from within Thailand or use your name. Use offshore hosting, anonymous WHOIS, VPNs, and consider using services like GlobaLeaks to share information safely.
You may even consider getting legal advice from digital rights orgs like:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Privacy International
Final Thought You’re doing something brave and important. While you may not win legally in Thailand, the internet can be a powerful equalizer. Done ethically and transparently, your efforts can protect others and bring some justice to light.
If you do create a site or content, I’m sure many here (myself included) would be willing to help share or amplify it.
Stay safe and good luck.