Woman Loses ~$6K In Durian MLM, Police Help "Steal" Back Fruits

Durian fruit scam in Thailand

Durian fruit – also known as the “king of fruits” – is one of the most controversial fruits out there. While some love it, others have a deep-seated hatred for its distinctive smell.

Recently, fruit has been growing in popularity, resulting in yearly rises in durian prices.

Hence, this could explain why a Thai woman and her neighbours lost ฿200,000 (~USD6,000) in a local durian fruit scam, due to the lucrative nature of the industry.

Here’s the full story of how a durian MLM went wrong.

An acquaintance turned durian scammer

Miss Boonsong Thaiying, a 64-year-old woman, owns a durian garden along with two other neighbours in Rayong.

Earlier in May 2021, an acquaintance named “Man” offered to pick and sell ฿200,000 (~USD6,000) worth of durians – around ฿100 (~USD3) per kilo – for Miss Thaiying and her friends, with a promise to pay them back once the sales have been made.

durian seller
Image credit: PoliceMagazine24

However, the durian garden owners only received ฿30,000 (~USD950) via a transfer before the man disappeared, leaving behind no way to contact him, according to Workpoint News 23.

Miss Thaiying and her neighbours decided to report the case to the police after his wife shared that he had not returned home in four days.

They gain a warrant to steal their durians back

After getting the green light from the police, Miss Thaiying and her neighbours travelled back to the scammer’s house to “steal” ฿30,000 (~USD960) worth of leftover durians found lying on the floor.

police warrant
Miss Thaiying holding the police’s warrant to take the leftover durians for sale
Image credit: PoliceMagazine24

However, Miss Thaiying expressed that she wasn’t able to sell the durians at a good price since most of the batch was already over-ripened. Yet, the local community did their best to help by buying all of the leftover fruits.

Not every friendly face can be trusted

What we can learn from this story is that not everyone can be trusted, even if they’re a familiar face. It’s a shame that Miss Thaiying and her neighbours were taken advantage of.

However, it’s quite heartwarming that other members of the community tried their best to help Miss Thaiying and her neighbours in times of trouble.