PATTAYA, Thailand – Following a recent online scam involving famous Thai entertainer Sompong Kunaprathom, known as “Eed Ponglang,” who revealed on social media that his team was duped into booking a fake resort on Koh Larn and lost tens of thousands of baht, local stakeholders have taken action to prevent further incidents.
On May 13, Kanchanop Sukkee, President of the Koh Larn Resort and Accommodation Association, announced the launch of a LINE Official Account (LINE OA) to verify legitimate accommodations on the island. This new system aims to help tourists confirm whether the resorts they intend to book are real, and whether the bank account used for payments matches the official business owner.
“The proliferation of fake resort pages is causing significant harm to our local businesses,” said Kanchanop. “We want to ensure that tourists who are planning to visit Koh Larn—or are in the process of booking a stay—use our LINE OA verification tool. It’s been designed to reduce the risk of scams and help rebuild confidence in the island’s tourism.”
Tourists can now verify resort listings and contact information via:
LINE OA: https://line.me/R/ti/p/@622waghx
TikTok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZShac6q1j/
Kanchanop also urged travelers not to trust unofficial pages or suspicious deals. “Always verify before transferring money,” he said, “so Koh Larn remains a safe and trustworthy destination for all.”
