Police have arrested a man suspected of running a fake modelling agency that caused about 10 million baht in damages.

Police identified the man only as Jarungsak, 51. He was arrested on Oct 1 at a house in Samut Prakan.

Also known as "Ajarn [Teacher] Toey", Mr Jarungsak was a former talent scout who made a name for himself in 2019, police said. He ran the Facebook page "Top Model 2022", promising to help young people who want to work as models, police said.

Police said the suspect would chat with parents and ask for a 1,000-baht tuition fee for a modelling class at department stores in the Rama IX and RCA areas.

Later he would ask for more money from parents so he could send their children to modelling events in Pattaya, Hong Kong and Singapore. They were required to pay 5,000 baht for admission fees and between 40,000 and 50,000 baht for other fees.

The suspect allegedly promised the parents they would receive a commission in return after each event. However, he would disappear after receiving the parents' money.