Thai celebrities duped out of 20 million baht in online toy scam, 300 victims speak out
Leading Thai celebrities were scammed out of over 20 million baht in a massive online toy scam, joining more than 300 other victims. Twenty representatives filed a complaint to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday.
The group of 20 victims were led by 40 year old Phiphitpon Pookkanasood, a famous Thai singer from the band named Jetset’er.
Phiphitpon revealed that two years ago, he purchased a Saint Seiya character figurine from the Facebook page “All in Toys.” The total cost was 13,000 baht, however, he only paid a 5,000 baht deposit and never received the merchandise.
Phiphitpon wasn’t the only victim. Another male victim, Kamon, fell for the store’s false promises after following them for five years without suspecting any wrongdoing.
Kamon said the shop started sending toys late or made an excuse that they were waiting for the toys to be transferred from aboard. After that, the page closed and the owner disappeared.
Kamon reported the store to the police when it recently reopened again.
According to the report on Khaosod, several famous Thai celebrities, including Pakorn Chatborrirak, Chantawith Thanasewee, and Sunny Suwanmethanon, were also lured into the toy scam. Pakorn paid a whopping 2 million baht for his beloved cartoon models yet received nothing in return.
According to the victims’ lawyer, Ronnarong Kaewphet, the shop’s actions constitute fraud and there are suspicions of money laundering as well, with the owner transferring funds to multiple bank accounts.
The police have taken the matter seriously and are actively investigating, with the inspector from the CIB questioning each victim. Phiphitpon and the other victims are hopeful for a speedy resolution and justice served.
Thailand has been plagued by a flood of deceptive scams recently.
Two days ago, a 91-year-old monk died of stress after a scammer stole 5,000 baht from him. In another scam, a 15 year old teenage boy was scammed out of 15,000 baht three weeks ago and decided to commit suicide as a protest to urge relevant departments to be more active in scam suppression.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
