#Ecommerce

Thailand’s digital marketplace is booming, but a sharp rise in online complaints is revealing how quickly convenience can turn into risk. In the first eight months of this year, the official consumer-protection agency reports more than 27,000 online complaints filed by Thai shoppers. The increase, roughly one-fifth higher than the same period last year, highlights a serious challenge as households increasingly buy goods and services online, often from unfamiliar sellers and cross-border platforms. The numbers place e-commerce scams and the operation of illegal websites squarely at the top of fraud concerns, signaling both opportunity and danger in a fast-growing online economy.

Thai consumers face mounting risks from sophisticated international scam networks operating fake online stores that exploit growing demand for weight-loss medications, particularly products claiming to mimic popular diabetes treatments like Ozempic and Mounjaro. Investigative research reveals that more than 140 websites have pivoted from fashion retail facades to targeting vulnerable weight-loss seekers with fraudulent “plant-based oral solutions” that promise pharmaceutical-grade results without medical supervision. These ghost store operations employ stolen professional identities, artificial intelligence-generated testimonials, and elaborate fake endorsements to exploit Thailand’s thriving digital marketplace and cultural emphasis on physical appearance.

Thai consumers are being urged to exercise heightened caution when purchasing weight-loss solutions online, following revelations from Australia about a new wave of “ghost stores” scamming buyers with fake GLP-1 products and predatory advertising—a scam that could easily spread to Thailand’s thriving digital marketplaces. These ghost stores, uncovered by investigative journalists at The Guardian, have been found impersonating real businesses and health experts to sell supposedly plant-based oral supplements that mimic the effects of popular diabetes and weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, posing direct risks to consumer financial safety and, more alarmingly, their health (theguardian.com).

A surge in ghost online stores is targeting Thai weight-loss seekers with counterfeit GLP-1 products that imitate popular medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro. Investigations show more than 140 websites shifting from fashion fronts to fraudulent claims of “plant-based oral solutions” that promise pharmaceutical-grade results without medical supervision. These operations rely on stolen professional images, AI-generated testimonials, and fake endorsements to build trust among Thailand’s digital shoppers.

Global shortages and rising prices for genuine GLP-1 medicines have created fertile ground for scammers. Real treatments such as semaglutide and tirzepatide offer meaningful weight-management benefits for people with obesity or metabolic disorders, driving demand that illicit operators exploit through sophisticated deception. The result is a perilous mix of medical misinformation and aggressive online marketing.