Sompong, the ‘deceitful taxi driver’ of 20 million baht return hoax, fies at 64

Phruek VajaraPublished: December 8, 2025, 1:33 PM

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Sompong, the ‘deceitful taxi driver’ of 20 million baht return hoax, fies at 64 | Thaiger

Closing the curtain on a legendary ‘world-deceiving taxi driver’ Sompong Leuadthahan, dies at 64

Sompong Leuadthahan, the former taxi driver who became widely known in 1997 after fabricating a story about returning 20 million baht to a foreign passenger, died on the evening of December 7.

Big Krien’s Facebook page confirmed his death. Sompong passed away at 8.06pm on Sunday at the age of 64 years, 6 months, and 3 days. The family thanked the public for its support, and they also asked for patience regarding funeral arrangements, which will be announced after his body is retrieved on Monday.

Sompong’s case remains one of the most widely cited episodes in modern Thai media history. It involved a false claim that quickly gained national attention before being debunked.

In 1997, Sompong, then a taxi driver, said he had found a bag containing about 20 million baht in cash and checks belonging to a foreign businessman at Don Mueang Airport. He claimed he returned the property to its owner.

He received widespread public praise, and media reports at the time referred to him as a “Taxi Hero.” He was invited to television programs and received plaques of honour, and also received cash rewards from multiple organisations.

The account later came under scrutiny after Khao Sod newspaper investigated inconsistencies, including questions surrounding the checks Sompong said could be cashed immediately and the absence of a key witness. This key witness was a security guard named Viroj.

Sompong, the ‘deceitful taxi driver’ of 20 million baht return hoax, fies at 64 | News by Thaiger

Sompong had presented Viroj as a corroborating witness through phone interviews on radio programs. A voice analysis comparison later indicated that the voice attributed to “Viroj” was Sompong himself, using a disguised voice. After the findings and reports of earlier misconduct, including impersonating a police officer to deceive a woman into marriage, Sompong confessed. He said he fabricated the story to gain fame. However, he did not anticipate the scale of public reaction.

On September 29, 1997, the Criminal Court sentenced Sompong to three years in prison. The sentence was reduced to one year and six months following his confession. He ultimately served one year and two months. Additionally, he was ordered to return 200,500 baht in prize money he had received.

After his release, Sompong largely stayed out of the public eye; however, he appeared in media interviews years later. In a 2018 episode of Hone Krasae hosted by Kanchai Kamnerdploy, he reflected on the consequences of the scandal.

He said the exposure caused severe stress and fears for his family’s safety, and he also offered an apology for his actions and asked for an opportunity to move forward.

The family has not yet announced funeral details.

In related news, back in October, a Thai taxi driver allegedly tricked a Japanese woman into buying him a coffee at a convenience store before stealing one of her mobile phones while she was making a payment.