Khon Kaen shop owners targeted by clever thief employing overpayment scam

Disturbing incidents have been reported in Khon Kaen, where several local shop owners fell victim to a scam by a short-haired woman masquerading as a male shopper. She would claim she had no cash, ask to transfer more than the purchase price, and then request the difference in cash. The woman disappeared without confirming the transfer, leaving the shopkeepers at a loss.

CCTV cameras installed near a beef shop in the Kok Samran district of Khon Kaen captured the perpetrator in action. The alleged thief, a woman sporting a short boyish haircut, parked her bike in front of the store, pretending to be engaged in a phone conversation. She then grabbed a bottle of oil retailing in the shop to refuel her black and grey Honda Wave motorbike.

Following this, she engaged the shop owner in a conversation, enquiring about the beef prices. She then ordered half a kilogram of beef. She also opted for a bank transfer payment, where she falsely claimed she would overpay and ask for change in cash. The scam concluded with the shop owner realising no money had been transferred, making the whole transaction a deceitful act.

The reporter visited the affected beef shop located near the entrance to the Kok Samran village in Khon Kaen. Twenty-nine-year-old shop owner Oruma revealed the details of the scam that occurred on Wednesday, July 5. She described the woman as short-haired, and around 25 to 30 years old. She said the woman parked her motorbike outside the shop and pretended to have a telephone conversation, reported KhaoSod.

This woman proceeded to buy a bottle of oil, selling at 40 baht, which she also used to refuel her bike. Upon being asked about the price of beef, Oruma told her it was 300 baht per kilogram. Hence, the woman decided to purchase half a kilogram of beef for 150 baht, along with the oil making a total of 190 baht. Oruma

“She said she had no cash and had 410 baht in her bank account. She offered to pay more than the cost of the items via a bank transfer and asked for change in cash. I agreed since the amount wasn’t too high. She then pretended to use a QR code for payment and showed me the name of the shop and the transferred amount on her phone. I didn’t check the details properly and subsequently gave her 210 baht in cash.”

Oruma felt tricked and upon discussing the scam on a community online page, found out that many like her were cheated similarly. She expressed the need for caution against such individuals. Although she hasn’t complained, she has given the woman an opportunity to return the money and pay for the goods she took.

“Please stop doing bad things like this because money is hard to earn, and everyone needs it. It’s not okay to trick others, as it causes harm and a loss of trust. Plus, I think it’s rewarding to earn money the hard way through hard work. And I want to warn other shopkeepers to be wary of such individuals and to check their money transfers thoroughly. Only let customers leave after you have confirmed that the amount transferred is correct. I don’t want anyone else to face the same problem.”