Thai woman loses nearly 1 million baht to online scam, finds hope through TikTok creator’s help

THAILAND: A heartbreaking story from central Thailand has touched people across the country after a woman, shaken and nearly penniless, turned to a well-known TikTok creator for help. An online scam had wiped out almost one million baht of her savings—money she had spent her life working for.

The woman, an agricultural scholar who has long dedicated herself to teaching others about self-sufficiency, opened up during a livestream with TikTok user @Namobanchangtongdaengso0, or simply Namo. Her voice trembled as she described how a man pretending to be an investment expert drew her in with promises that felt too good to pass up.

“He said if I invested 1,000 baht, I’d get 200 baht back each time,” she said softly. “I believed it… I just kept giving.”

Hope turned into desperation as she continued transferring money, convinced she had to keep going to recover what she’d already lost. The trust she had always prided herself on—both as a teacher and a community mentor—suddenly felt like the very thing that left her vulnerable.

“I’ve taught people about self-sufficiency and the king’s philosophy for years,” she said, referencing King Rama IX’s teachings on sustainable living. “But when it came to my own life, I lacked resilience.”

With debts piling up and her confidence shattered, she turned to Namo for help, to check the last pieces of gold jewellery she owned. During the livestream, Namo gently examined each piece. Only a few were real—33.83 grams in total, worth about 109,274 Thai baht.

She admitted she’d already pawned some of the jewellery to try to stay afloat. Selling the rest, she hoped, might be the first step toward paying down what she owed.

“I don’t want sympathy,” she said, holding back tears. “I just want others to be careful, so they don’t end up like me.”

Her story moved thousands. Viewers flooded the comments with support, and Namo promised to stand by her while also using his platform to warn others about online scam tactics. The video quickly spread across Thai social media, turning her painful experience into a powerful reminder of how easily good-hearted people can be targeted.

“I’ve always helped others,” she reflected. Now, the woman believes she has been given a second chance as someone helped her without asking for anything in exchange.