From Star to Scam – Former Actress Accused of Fraud

October 2, 2024

A former Thai actress and ex-candidate for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council allegedly swindled more than 10 million baht from multiple victims in a designer brand scam.

Some of the victims visited the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB)’s Complaint Centre on September 30, to report the scam to officials. The former actor and president of the Santi Prachatham Foundation, Taenkhun Jit-itsara, accompanied and assisted them.

In a press conference attended by several news outlets, Naphatpirada, representing the victims, disclosed that she encountered the Instagram profile of a former actress who appeared to be operating as an agent for luxury brand consignment and sales. Trusting the individual due to her past fame and political involvement, Naphatpirada decided to use her services, sending two designer bags for consignment.

However, the former actress failed to provide any updates on the sale progress. When Naphatpirada reached out, the suspect eventually transferred a partial payment for one of the bags, claiming the buyer had paid in installments. Yet, Naphatpirada did not receive any payment for the second bag.

Initially, Naphatpirada chose not to file a complaint, allowing the former actress four months to either return the bag or provide full payment. Despite this, the suspect did not follow through, continuing her extravagant lifestyle unaffected. Consequently, Naphatpirada reported the case to the Wang Thong Lang Police Station, noting that the suspect was still promoting similar consignment services on social media.

Other victims at the conference reported similar instances, stating they too had been defrauded in the same way. Taenkhun publicly urged the former actress to return the funds and goods to the affected individuals, warning that failure to do so could lead to a fraud charge, which carries penalties of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.

Source: thethaiger.com