Fake Influencer Threatens Restaurant After Free Review Demand Rejected

A restaurant owner in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi has come forward about an encounter with a fake influencer demanding free meals in exchange for a review. TikTok user Saro Vibe, who claims 300,000 Facebook followers and 120,000 on TikTok, contacted Prakai Cafe offering a free review but requiring the restaurant to cover all food and beverage costs. When the owner's page replied that they would not pay for a review if the food was not good, the influencer responded with a threat: "If you pay yourself and it's not delicious, I'll make a review clip giving your shop one star, and it'll be hard to recover. Just a little food cost and you get lots of customers from our page," followed by "See you later, your shop will definitely close." The owner, known as Khun Cake, later commented that the influencer had apologized and asked not to be named publicly. Khun Cake told media outlet Honkraes that they had never encountered such a request before and, after investigating, found the Facebook account was a personal profile, not a page, and the TikTok account appeared to be a bought-and-sold channel with low engagement and a history of name changes, indicating a scam operation. After Khun Cake posted a warning video, the influencer called to apologize and asked for the clip to be deleted. The owner has not removed the video and says they possess full evidence and are deciding when to file a police report. Khun Cake warned other business owners to thoroughly vet anyone offering review support, checking not just follower counts but actual engagement and account history.