Thai man jumps on moving pickup to stop alleged car scammer
Alleged scammer speeds away despite victim's pregnant wife in vehicle
A Thai man jumped onto a moving pickup in an attempt to stop a suspect who tricked him and his wife into purchasing a second-hand vehicle.
The Thai couple, Nop and Ple, were acting as agents searching for a vehicle on behalf of a client. They came across a second-hand pickup, a green Toyota Hilux Revo Rocco, via a Facebook post and believed they could make a good profit from the sale.
According to the post, the pickup was a new model released in 2025 and had only been driven for 300 kilometres. It was being offered for 640,000 baht, significantly lower than its original price of over 1 million baht.
Nop contacted potential clients until one of them confirmed to buy the car. So, the man contacted the seller, a man named Nattachai, to request further details and arranged to inspect the vehicle. Nattachai asked for a deposit of 13,000 baht, which Nop paid.
A meeting was set for May 24 outside a coffee shop in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province near Bangkok. There, the couple were supposed to meet both the car owner and Nattachai.
According to the vehicle registration, the actual owner was a woman named Buppha. However, a man named Santi was presented as the owner during the meeting. The owner arrived with a relative, Thanongsak.
The couple explained that Santi remained in the coffee shop while Nattachai led them to inspect the pickup. Impressed with the vehicle, they transferred the remaining 627,000 baht to Nattachai’s account. Although the money did not go to Santi, they did not suspect anything at the time.
Nattachai then asked the couple to retrieve the car key from Santi inside the coffee shop. Nop entered the shop alone while his wife, who is pregnant, waited in the pickup.
As soon as Nop stepped inside, Nattachai fled the scene on a motorcycle. Santi, who had not received any payment, refused to hand over the key. He rushed to the pickup and drove off, despite Nop’s pregnant wife still sitting in the vehicle.
Fearing for the safety of his wife and unborn child, Nop jumped onto the moving pickup, pounding on the window and pleading for Santi to stop. He later broke the window and punched Santi in the face, forcing him to stop the vehicle. Santi then abandoned the vehicle and fled from the scene on foot.
The couple called officers from Bang Phli Police Station to the scene and urged them to take action against Nattachai, Santi, and Thanongsak, accusing them of conspiring to defraud them.
Santi and Thanongsak later presented themselves at the police station for questioning. However, police released them, stating that no charges could be filed, as Santi had legal authority over the vehicle through a power of attorney granted by Buppha.
Desperate to recover their money, the couple went public with their story. As of now, local police have not provided any update on the progress of the investigation.
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