Thai woman wins 2g of gold in sweepstakes
Winning the grand prize of a competition is as likely as finding a needle in a haystack on your first try, but that doesn’t mean such a miracle isn’t possible.
Unfortunately, for some people, such a miracle can be overshadowed by an online scam that wastes their time and money. Here’s the story of a Thai woman in Chiang Mai who won 2g of gold in a mobile application’s sweepstakes, but received a giant umbrella as a “prize” instead.
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Thai woman deceived into paying 5% processing fee gold she won
On 15th December 2021, a Thai restaurant owner referred to as “Cat” found was asked to pay a processing fee worth ฿200 (~USD6) to receive 2g of gold, the grand prize she had won in the application sweepstakes.
Image credit: Sanook
The incident followed the announcement by the application about a campaign she had joined in November 2021 – the very one that promised she had won 2g of gold.
After paying the fee, Cat waited for her gold with anticipation and excitement.
Little did she know that what she was going to receive isn’t what we’d necessarily call a “grand” prize.
Cat receives a giant umbrella instead of the winning gold
Instead of the 2g of gold, Cat received a giant umbrella instead.
Image credit: Sanook
Cat managed to contact the application via live chat in order to clarify the misunderstanding, and asked for a phone number for someone she could speak to.
Image credit: Sanook
However, the administrative assistant of the app refused to give her a contact number and only asked her to send the screenshot of the announcement along with the prize she had received.
Image credit: Sanook
Cat also found out about another victim who shared the same experience: she received a pack of plastic bags instead of the gold prize.
Cat further told the press that she felt negatively about this scam, and still hopes that the team behind the campaign will take responsibility the incidents, according to Sanook.
Netizens begin searching for the name of the application
After the story was circulated on Facebook, many netizens shared their comments on the issue and began searching for the app.
Screenshot: Sanook News
Translation: You better open the umbrella first. There might be the gold beneath.
However, there was also one netizen who comically suggested that victim check the inside of the umbrella first.
Screenshot: Sanook News
Translation: Gold is expensive now. Get the bag of it first.
Another netizen thought that because gold prices are soaring, the app first sent a bag for the victim to later use to store the gold. However, the bag might be too big for the gold.
Screenshot: Sanook news
Translation: You can submit your complaints to the police
One Facebook user commented that the victim can also take legal action against the app’s owner.
Make sure the app is trustworthy
The story of Cat, who fell prey to an online scammer, gave us one important lesson: we should always make sure that those running lucky draw campaigns runner are trustworthy.
In order to do this, we’d suggest browsing through the website and, of course, forums to see if other people are discussing the particular app.
Cover images adapted from (L-R): hamiltonleen via Pixabay, Sanook
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