PHUKET, THAILAND – Police in Phuket say they have shut down a large-scale parcel scam that sent unsolicited junk products to thousands of households across Thailand.
Warehouse raid uncovers mass parcel operation
Police had been monitoring a warehouse in Muang District after noticing unusually high shipping activity, according to Police Major General Sinlert Sukhum. On Sunday evening, officers raided the site and discovered huge quantities of substandard and unregistered goods, including cosmetics, IT items, consumer products and stickers.
Investigators say a 30-year-old woman used a database of names and addresses of online shoppers to send them unsolicited packages. Each parcel was priced at 259 Baht (about €6), and some recipients paid on delivery, apparently believing a family member had ordered the items.
“When the packages arrived at the victims’ homes, some paid by mistake,”
said Police Major General Sinlert Sukhum.
Rejected parcels were reportedly repackaged and dispatched to new addresses. Police estimate the woman earned around 80,000 Baht (about €2,000) per day from the scheme, which has allegedly been running since August 2024. During the raid, officers seized about 20,000 defective products and 5,000 ready-to-ship parcels, while roughly 2,000 packages had already gone out for delivery that day.
Fraud charges expected as victims urged to file complaints
The suspect has initially been charged with possession of substandard products for sale, and further fraud charges are expected as the investigation continues. Police believe additional individuals may have been involved in what they describe as a large criminal network.
“Victims should file complaints with the police,”
said Police Major General Sinlert Sukhum, adding that the number of formal complaints could influence the length of any potential prison sentence.
Authorities are now working to secure the full database of victim addresses in an effort to prevent further scams. Officials stressed that the case serves as a warning to consumers never to pay for unordered parcels and to double-check with family members if an unexpected package arrives.