About 62 students and 8 teachers from 11 schools lost about 39,900 baht each (около 2.7 million baht total) on a China study trip that never happened. The organisers claimed Obec links, and the trip was organised privately, not by Obec. For a Thai business, the lesson is practical: before paying deposits for group travel or education programmes, verify the organiser's registration and airline bookings directly, and don't pay through a third party's account. Parents have also raised concerns about students' personal documents being handed over, so keep copies of data shared and limit what you give out.