Great Fakes! Thai woman in US arrested for buying designer handbags, returning knockoffs to the stor

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Great Fakes! Thai woman in US arrested for buying designer handbags, returning knockoffs to the store
By Coconuts Bangkok


A file photo of handbags. Photo: Scott Barron

ARLINGTON: -- A Thai woman in Virginia was arrested for being the mastermind behind an alleged handbag scam that involved high-end brands such as Gucci, Burberry and Fendi.

Praepitcha Smatsorabudh has been accused of buying designer handbags — some costing over THB70,000 — from department store websites. She then, allegedly, traveled to at least 12 different states to make in-person returns with knockoffs obtained from suppliers in China and Hong Kong, according to federal authorities.

Praepitcha, who is in her early 40s, has allegedly netted over THB35 million in profits by selling the authentic bags on eBay and Instagram to customers over the past two years.

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2016/05/30/great-fakes-thai-woman-us-arrested-buying-designer-handbags-returning-knockoffs-store

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2016-05-30

[arunsakda]

A common crook.

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[JeremyBowskill]

Shameful!!! She could at least have got the knock offs here.

[Pimay1]

She could face 20 years in prison if convicted

She picked the wrong country for this scam. Should have stayed in Thailand. A tidy sum to the BIB and she would have gotten off scot-free.

[JetsetBkk]

Pretty clever trick

The only people who should be arrested are the crooks who make this stuff for such a ridiculous price.

(You do realise I'm not talking about the knockoffs, don't you )

[shirtless]

Too funny Thais are not so clever, 555

[Calach]

It's so frustrating when criminals that genius get caught for stupid mistakes.

[BigBadGeordie]

Such a shame that this good Thai lady has been corrupted by "Western" values.

[Minnie the Minx]

It's a good scam.

HK is working on this according to SCMP.

[Minnie the Minx]

....but I only buy Prada. Original of course, those labels are so dated.

[Deli]

I will try to copy this idea

[Patsycat]

I love in the OP it says "A file photo of handbags"!! No, those are shoes!!

[Redline]

That's why nearly all sales are final in Thailand

[gandalf12]

She could face 20 years in prison if convicted

She picked the wrong country for this scam. Should have stayed in Thailand. A tidy sum to the BIB and she would have gotten off scot-free.

So she cant say the handbag ghost told her to do it, wai a few times and that is it? Ummm sounds like the the USA does not understand Thainess at all

[Lee4Life]

Pretty clever trick

The only people who should be arrested are the crooks who make this stuff for such a ridiculous price.

(You do realise I'm not talking about the knockoffs, don't you )

Clever would have included not getting caught

[12DrinkMore]

I love in the OP it says "A file photo of handbags"!! No, those are shoes!!

You must get a few odd looks.

[pkspeaker]

never understood what could possibly make a bag worth so much money

[off road pat]

A common crook.

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35.million Thb is not a so common crook,! it's a little notch above.....common....!!!

[UKJASE]

shows how good the copies are if even the store attendants in the real shops cannot tell the difference.......

[atyclb]

add crooks, cheats, and thieves to the list of thai exports. hmmmm what else are they famous for exporting?

[humqdpf]

Yes, clearly this lady was clearly a scam artist.

But what about the innocent person who buys a designer item in a store in Thailand and then returns it to a store in the USA if it is defective?

Before you think, well you have to be careful where you buy etc, what about the fake medicines that found their way into the supply chain of various proper pharmacy chains in Europe and in the USA?

[fakename]

Its gotta be in the blood!

[trainman34014]

They just can't leave their thieving genes at home can they. Good that she will have to face the kind of justice unheard of in her homeland.

[OMGImInPattaya]

This lady is in deep kee...not only the local state theft and fraud charges related to the store but just possession of these counterfeit goods in a serious federal crime as well.

[SOTIRIOS]

....a perfect example of.....

...of what you are dealing with here....

...a smile....or a !@#$%^&*(......and many forget all too quickly....

[NovaBlue05]

My wife was amazed at how easy it is to buy stuff in the US and return it if not satisfied...I can see how some might come up with a scam attempt like this

[F430murci]

Yes, clearly this lady was clearly a scam artist.

But what about the innocent person who buys a designer item in a store in Thailand and then returns it to a store in the USA if it is defective?

Before you think, well you have to be careful where you buy etc, what about the fake medicines that found their way into the supply chain of various proper pharmacy chains in Europe and in the USA?

Don't think a store in the US would provide a refund or exchange for an item purchasers in Thailand. No receipt, no proof of purchase, no dice.

[F430murci]

My wife was amazed at how easy it is to buy stuff in the US and return it if not satisfied...I can see how some might come up with a scam attempt like this

Yep, and there are always a bunch of low life credent types that try and exploit conveniences such as these resulting in the convenience being taken away.

[bangon04]

shows how good the copies are if even the store attendants in the real shops cannot tell the difference.......

or maybe how badly trained the staff in US stores can be.

A Thai staff in a Louis Vuitton store in Bangkok can spot a fake at 100 yards....

[F430murci]

shows how good the copies are if even the store attendants in the real shops cannot tell the difference.......

or maybe how badly trained the staff in US stores can be.

A Thai staff in a Louis Vuitton store in Bangkok can spot a fake at 100 yards....

Probably because they have to with the number of low life, credent scammers liking to make a quick buck without working types are cruising the streets of Bangkok. I doubt they would even look at it closely if there was a receipt and a recent purchase. Lol, they will now!