Over 100 people fall victim to surfskate scam

Over 100 people fall victim to surfskate scam

Victims hold up evidence to show they were cheated after pre-ordering surfskates on Facebook. Arnun Chonmahatrakool
Victims hold up evidence to show they were cheated after pre-ordering surfskates on Facebook. Arnun Chonmahatrakool

Ten people filed a complaint with the Crime Suppression Division against an online surfskate board seller who failed to deliver their orders, despite having been paid in full by the customers.

In total, 112 people fell victim to the scam, with damages estimated to be around 2.7 million baht, the complaint said.

Among the complainants who came to the CSD yesterday were Thananya Pipitwinchakan, a Channel 5 news anchor, and her friend Napathamon Tangwuthipalakorn.

They said they pre-ordered surfskates with Thotsawat Deemak, 21, via the Facebook group "Surf & Skate Market Thailand".

In his post, they said, Mr Thotsawat said he could obtain brand-name surfskates from abroad with prices ranging 9,000-35,000 baht each -- on the condition that buyers put down a 30% deposit upfront.

When they contacted him, Mr Thotsawat said he would give them a 1,000-baht discount each if they paid for the orders in full. The pair agreed and transferred the money, saying Mr Thotsawat "seemed credible".

On the day they were due to get their surfskates, Mr Thotsawat failed to make the delivery. When pressed for answers, he always came up with an excuse, the complainants said.

Pol Col Ruangsak Choonjit, a CSD investigator, accepted the complaint and said he would forward it to the Economic Crime Suppression Division.

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