Fake time, real warning: Thai couple’s scam alert (video)

A Thai couple took to social media to issue a warning, alleging that a foreign man attempted to scam them by selling a fake luxury watch. The couple claim that the man allegedly bought the watch for 59,000 baht but offered it to them for just 6,000 baht.

A Thai man, Supakorn Piriyesyangkoon, shared a video and pictures of the foreigner on Facebook on April 19 and issued a warning.

“Warning! It happened in the Tha Chana district of Surat Thani province. This foreign man told me that he bought the watch from Switzerland for 59,000 baht but wanted to sell to me for only 6,000 baht, saying he needed money to go to the northern province of Chiang Mai.

He insisted on selling it. When we suspected it was a scam and took a video of him, the man got angry and gave me the middle finger. Please be careful. I almost lost money to him.

In the video, the foreign man is seen trying to avoid being filmed.

“Swiss watch, please help me. Look at it. You can give me your phone number. If it’s not real, I’ll give you your money back, I’m an engineer from Italy. Milan, football, Milan. I have no money.”

Supakorn and his girlfriend initially declined the offer, yet the foreign man persisted, even offering them a 1,000 baht discount. Despite this, Supakorn’s girlfriend remained resolute in her refusal and urged him to leave. Only when the couple threatened to involve the police did the foreign man relent and allow them to leave.

Netizens report scam

Many netizens shared their experiences in the comment section.

“I experienced this myself when I was in Koh Tao (an island in Surat Thani province).”

“This man is a scammer. I met him in Saraburi province in March. He sold me the same watch and said he needed money to travel to Chiang Mai. I asked him to go to the police station with me to get help from the police but he refused and left immediately.”

“I met him at a petrol station in Nakhon Ratchasima in October last year. He was driving an old Vios sedan with no number plates. He used the same pattern on me. So scary!”

“My family and I met him in Chum Phon. He tried to sell this watch to my father for 5,000 baht, saying he was going to Phuket.”

“Wow, he has already travelled around Thailand! I met him in Kampaeng Phet. He did the same thing and complained to me when I refused his offer.”

Some netizens reckon that the foreign man did not act alone in the alleged crime and may have been accompanied by a Thai national. Others claim to have encountered similar scams involving different foreigners.

As of now, neither the police nor relevant authorities have initiated an investigation into this particular foreign individual.