Dozens of hopeful street vendors who travelled to Pattaya for the city’s annual International Fireworks Festival were left devastated on Friday after falling victim to a sophisticated scam that promised them trading stalls at the popular beachfront event.
At around 4:00 p.m., reporters at Pattaya Beach near the Sailboat Monument witnessed chaotic scenes as municipal officers ordered the immediate dismantling of unauthorised stalls. Many vendors, some of whom had travelled from Bangkok and other provinces, broke down in tears after losing both their deposit money and the cost of goods they had brought to sell.
The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2025 officially provides more than 800 vendor stalls free of charge through a public lottery system, with no fees required. In fact, the vast majority of major official city events gives free vendor spots , but they are high demand due to limited space. However, online scammers exploited the high demand by impersonating event organisers and offering “guaranteed” spots in exchange for cash deposits.
One victim, who asked not to be named, told reporters:
“I was contacted by someone claiming to be in charge of stall allocation. A relative in Pattaya even helped verify the meeting point on the day of the lottery draw, so it felt legitimate. I transferred 4,000 baht as a deposit and prepared everything to come and sell. When we arrived, the person had vanished and our names were nowhere on the official list.”
Many vendors attempted to set up makeshift stalls along the beachfront in the hope of recovering at least some of their costs, only to be met by Pattaya City municipal officers who swiftly ordered the removal of all unauthorised structures.
Tensions rose as more victims realised they had fallen for the same scam. Some confronted officers in frustration, while others pleaded to be allowed to continue trading. Vendors showed officers bank transfer records and chat messages as proof of payment, begging authorities to intervene.
Pattaya municipal officers remained firm, stating that only stalls allocated through the official lottery were permitted. However, they urged all affected vendors to gather evidence – including transfer receipts and conversation screenshots – and file formal police complaints against the fraudsters, promising police would conduct a full investigation.
Authorities warned that impersonating event officials to collect deposits is a serious criminal offence and appealed to the public to use only official registration channels for future events to prevent further victims. Police are investigating a line photo used by the scammer but suspect it may also be a fake photo and not the actual person. (Below)
Police have been notified as of press time, and an investigation into the scam ring is underway. Victims have begun organising together to submit collective complaints in the coming days and urge Pattaya City to take action and find the scammers.
The incident has cast a shadow over what is normally one of Pattaya’s most celebrated tourism events, with city officials vowing to tighten and more strongly promote proper vendor registration measures for next year’s festival.
