At least three restaurant owners in Phuket fell victim to a foreign scammer who used confusion tactics to take money from the victims.
A restaurant owner in Phuket, identified as Benz Paitoon, shared details of the incident on Facebook along with CCTV footage yesterday, May 4. He said the suspect, whose nationality is unknown, entered his shop and purchased a bottle of water priced at 10 baht, paying with a 1,000-baht banknote.
Benz said he checked the note using a verification device due to concerns about counterfeit currency. After confirming it was genuine, he prepared 990 baht in change.
The foreign man then changed his mind, requesting a larger bottle of water. However, he unexpectedly declined it and cancelled the purchase. Benz returned the 1,000-baht note.
The man then changed his order again, asking for two bottles of water. Benz said he became confused and mistakenly believed he still held the original banknote, so he handed over 980 baht in change without receiving any payment.
After the man left, Benz realised the 1,000-baht note was no longer in his possession. He reviewed CCTV footage and concluded he had been deceived.
Following the incident, Benz said he found similar reports from other business owners in the area. One food vendor commented that she lost money to the same man on the same day.
Another restaurant owner warned others about the suspect, stating she lost 960 baht through a similar method. She said the man arrived with two other foreigners but acted alone during the incident.
Benz filed a complaint with Mueang Phuket Police Station and urged other victims of the Phuket scam to report the incidents to police. As of now, police have not yet provided the update on the investigation or the arrest of the suspect.
In a similar case, a Thai woman was arrested on May 1 for tricking convenience store staff and stealing money. She reportedly distracted the staff member by talking to them, hid the change given to her under her armpit, and later accused the staff member of giving her the wrong change in order to get more money.
She had previously been arrested for the same offence and released after serving her sentence, but had repeated her actions.
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