CHON BURI: A Chinese interpreter in Pattaya claimed he was duped into buying substandard face masks for almost two million baht.
Artor Sae Wang, a Chinese national, 27, told the Bangkok Post that his boss in China had asked him to find face masks to be donated to Thai people at risk of contracting the coronavirus disease.
A Chinese man identified later as Siewkwang Sae Jing introduced him to a face mask agent at a hotel in Don Muang district of Bangkok.
The agent showed him samples of face masks, which were standard, said Mr Artor. He then asked to inspect all the merchandise before paying the money, but the agent refused. The man had asked him to transfer 1,075,000 baht to a bank account of a man identified as Ronnarit and another 700,000 baht to Jinju Co’ s bank account. He also paid 100,000 baht to Mr Siewkwang for brokerage fees.
After the money was transferred he was taken to collect the boxes of face masks from a pickup truck. On arrival, he found that the face masks were substandard and contaminated with fungi. He asked for his money back, but the agent refused and challenged him to file a police complaint, said the Chinese interpreter, who said he also runs a rented room service in Pattaya.
He filed a complaint with Don Muang police on Feb 7. So far, there has been no progress in the case, he claimed...and the face masks are now emitting bad smells.