Consumer protection authorities have apprehended an online celebrity couple, accusing them of, among other charges, fraud and disseminating misleading advertisements that could unfairly impact consumers.
Police arrested the couple, Kornkanok Suwanbut, aka “Mae Tak,” and her husband Kanpon Rueangaram, and searched their residence in Ramindra Soi 65 for additional evidence.
The couple operated a gold shop in the Khlong Sam Wa district of Bangkok and hosted a series of live online sales promotions, featuring allegedly substandard gold ornaments at cheap prices.
They have over 4.6 million online followers and attracted customers from across the country.
The dispute escalated when customers attempted to sell gold necklaces, purchased from their firm K2N, only to be turned away by other gold dealers.
These refusals raised doubts about the authenticity of the gold products offered by Kornkanok, who chooses to portray herself as a charitable self-made woman.
Last week, customers lined up in front of the gold shop, demanding that the couple buy back the ornaments.
A popular talk show recently invited experts to examine items from their shop. The experts claimed that the supposedly “pure gold” free gifts advertised were actually made of paper.
At press time, the couple was detained at the Consumer Protection Bureau for further questioning.
