An online seller of the highly-sought after Labubu dolls risks facing fraud charges after failing to deliver the dolls which over 100 customers had paid for in advance.
The buyers reported the owner of the Facebook page "Chompoo Utaisincharoen" to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Monday, claiming losses of up to 12 million baht.
One of the customers, who declined to be named, said the seller claimed to be an importer of Labubu dolls on Facebook, targeting customers who were looking to buy the popular toy figures to be resold.
The victims were then instructed to transfer the money to complete the transaction, the customer said, noting everyone complied with the order as they had never had any issues purchasing items off Facebook before.
About a month ago, the seller said there will be delays in the delivery of the dolls, citing supply issues caused by legal wrangling over a warehouse in China, the customer said.
Over the course of the new few weeks, the seller would come up with different excuses when asked about the delivery date, the customer said.
The seller then promised to refund the customers in full, but no refunds have been issued to date, prompting the buyers to initiate a lawsuit.
As of Monday, over 100 people have claimed to be a victim of the scheme, with a combined loss totalling 12 million baht.
According to the customers, the online seller had been in business for two to three years. Recently, however, the seller began offering the dolls at a heavy discount, which attracted many eager customers.
One customer has reportedly contemplated suicide after spending her life savings to purchase the dolls.
It was reported the doll seller lives in an upscale housing estate in Samut Prakan and used to run a shop in Saphan Lek neighbourhood of Bangkok.