Chinese tourist duped into spending over $50k on fake Hermes bag from seller on Instagram in Bangkok

A Chinese tourist visiting Bangkok was duped into buying a fake Hermes bag from a seller she found on Instagram.

According to a report by Thai newspaper Khaosod, the woman, known as Deng, is a 27-year-old Chinese national. Her husband is a Chinese businessman living in Singapore.

Deng had seen the black Hermes crocodile leather bag put up for sale on the seller's Instagram account prior to October 2023.

She then contacted the seller and arranged to buy the bag at a second-hand store in a well-known shopping mall in the Ratchaprasong district of the Thai capital for 1.4 million baht (S$53,140) on Oct 1, 2023.

Luxury bag reseller Madison Avenue Couture has the same bag for sale at US$67,500 (S$89,800).

Luxury auction site Sotheby's closed a lot for the same item in November 2023 for 44,450 Swiss francs (S$69,400).

A day after her purchase, Deng sent the bag to The Catch Fake Brandname, a Thai luxury goods authentication institute, to ascertain whether it was genuine. It was found to be counterfeit.

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Deng tried to contact the seller to return the bag. The seller refused, claiming that the bag had lost its value after the purchase.

Deng then engaged a representative via a law firm to lodge multiple complaints with the Thai police, reported news portal The Thaiger.

Her representative subsequently visited the second-hand store with the police to discuss the matter, with the store offering to buy back the bag at 980,000 baht.

In other words, Deng would have to suffer a 30 per cent loss.

Both parties could not agree on a suitable offer, so Deng approached Thai media on Jan 10 with her account of the incident.

She lamented that she found it difficult to locate a government agency that could assist tourists and protect their rights, especially in situations involving counterfeit goods.

"I would like to ask the country's leaders to help in this matter," Deng said via an interpreter.

"I am worried that tourists who have experienced the same thing as me might be afraid to come to Thailand to travel and shop."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.