Rice Department fraudsters cook up fake seed sales online
The Rice Department’s Facebook page highlighted an increase in online scams. Fraudsters are using fake pages to impersonate legitimate businesses, luring victims to purchase rice seeds and disappearing after receiving payments.
The Rice Department’s Facebook page revealed that scammers have created a fake page named Phantawee Mall Corporation, falsely using images and names of Rice Department officials to build trust. They have been enticing people to buy rice seeds through this fraudulent page.
Victims who transferred money never received the promised seeds and were unable to contact the fake page thereafter, causing significant financial loss to many individuals.
An investigation showed that the legitimate page selling rice seeds is named Phantawee Mall and can be found at the link https://www.facebook.com/phantaweemall, NOT Phantawee Mall Corporation. The Khon Kaen Rice Seed Centre, responsible for the area, has lodged a report with the police for further legal action.
The company Phantawee Mall confirmed awareness of the scam and stated they are taking legal steps. They urged buyers to verify the authenticity of sellers before making any transactions to avoid falling prey to such scams.
“We are aware of the situation and have taken legal measures. We urge buyers to thoroughly check before purchasing to avoid being scammed.”
The Rice Department will intensify efforts to spread awareness and issue warnings to prevent more people from being deceived. They advise anyone with queries or wishing to buy rice seeds from the Rice Department to contact the local Rice Seed Centre, Rice Research Centre, or the Rice Department Facebook page.
For further information or to report any suspicious activities, individuals are encouraged to reach out to the Rice Department through their official channels, reported KhaoSod.
In related news, Thai police have apprehended five individuals involved in a scam that involved creating fake Facebook pages to deceive people into transferring money for sacred objects. The arrests were made following a detailed investigation by the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
