Thai Woman Files Fraud Complaint Against Lottery Vendor Over Unpaid Prize

(CTN News) – When a lottery dealer in Thailand refused to pay out a reward of 18,000 baht that was won in the draw on December 1, a Thai woman went to court and accused the vendor of fraud.

In the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani, a 51-year-old real estate business operator named Aramsri Hathongkham went to the Mueang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station on December 17 to complain. Her five winning tickets were valued at 18,000 baht, but the lottery salesperson, Yao, who was 30 years old, refused to pay her.

She had been buying Yao’s remaining lottery tickets regularly since October, according to Aramsri. According to reports, Yao pleaded with her to purchase the remaining tickets, saying she was in a financial bind and needed the money.

Dispute Arises Over Unpaid 18,000 Baht Prize

According to Aramsri, she agreed to assist Yao with the purchase, but Yao had to let her pay for the tickets after the draw. Aramsri was required to keep purchasing draw tickets from Yao for October 16, November 1, November 16, and November 1, with the arrangement that Yao would accept the condition and collect payment later.

Despite her lack of success, Aramsri maintained that she was the one who paid for the tickets and would never cheat on Yao. If she were to win, she would request that Yao take the money from the winnings after deducting the cost of the tickets.

Four times during the drawing, Aramsri purchased lottery tickets from Yao. After each draw, Aramsri would insist that she had never cheated on Yao and would pay for the tickets. Nevertheless, Yao persistently put off handing her the reward.

Scams, setbacks, and unanticipated costs

Saying that she won the lottery on December 1 and had to wait a few days for Yao to hand her the prize, Aramsri gave an example of Yao’s behavior. Unannounced, Yao also eliminated a 3% service fee.

Police Investigation Initiated in Ubon Ratchathani

Aramsri, as they had done before, purchased many tickets for the draw on December 16 and agreed to pay Yao thereafter. Yao claimed she had already sold the winning five tickets to someone else since Aramsri hadn’t paid for them, therefore she refused to pay the 18,000 baht.

Aramsri went to the police with a suspicion that Yao was planning to hoard the award for herself. The tickets were rightfully hers, she insisted, as she had booked them.

While announcing her intention to never purchase lottery tickets online again, Aramsri cautioned others from doing the same.

According to ThaiRath, Yao contacted Aramsri and offered compensation, but the two parties have not yet settled on a specific figure.