Female Influencer Warns of Scam: Criminal Gang Dupes Her Out of Two Rolex Watches Worth Nearly 2 Million Baht
A Bangkok-based influencer lost two Rolex watches worth 1.8 million baht to an organized scam after sending them via courier under false pretenses, with police now investigating the coordinated theft.
On May 12, Ms. Praewa, owner of the 'Praewa Reviews Whatever' page, recounted her ordeal to online news outlets after posting two Rolex watches for sale valued at approximately 2 million baht. A man contacted her through Line expressing interest in purchasing the watches and, after negotiating, they agreed on a price of 1.8 million baht. The buyer claimed to live in Kanchanaburi province while Ms. Praewa resides in Bangkok.
The buyer eventually requested that a close friend pick up the watches in Bangkok instead. When delivery day arrived, the buyer changed plans again, asking that the package be sent via private courier service instead. Though initially hesitant due to the high value, Ms. Praewa agreed after the buyer claimed to have used this method many times before.
While bringing the package to the shipping company, Ms. Praewa remained in contact with the buyer by phone. Upon arrival at the branch, she provided the account number, but the buyer requested she first send the package and tracking number before transferring payment. Ms. Praewa thought this was acceptable since she could still retrieve the package if needed.
The buyer then claimed the shipping employee shouldn't hear about the high-value item and asked Ms. Praewa to take the call outside near her parked car. During the call, the buyer stalled with excuses about banking app issues and facial recognition problems, eventually claiming he needed to hang up to complete the transfer. He then disappeared and became unreachable.
When Ms. Praewa rushed back to retrieve the package, staff informed her it had already been picked up by a man. Security footage revealed the recipient was a delivery rider, who later passed the package to another person. Ms. Praewa believes this was an organized criminal operation with a systematic approach. Police are currently investigating the case.
Ms. Praewa also questioned the shipping company's security measures, asking why they released the package so easily without verifying the recipient's information. She called for stricter delivery protocols to prevent similar incidents and urged police to apprehend the perpetrators, suspecting she is not their only victim. She warned the public to exercise caution when buying or selling high-value items through online channels.
