Cambodian woman jailed for a year for COVID-19 mask swindle

A Cambodian court has sentenced a woman to a year in prison for a face mask swindle that cost six victims a total of 45,000 dollars.

The Khmer Times newspaper reported on Friday that the suspect, Ing Gechhuong, was an online seller, who had previously sold clothes and lotions.

However, following the outbreak of COVID-19 earlier in the year, the 22-year-old began advertising “anti-COVID-19″ face masks, claiming she could import the products in bulk for resale.

Her pitch attracted the attention of six customers who, despite depositing 45,000 dollars, never received the masks.

The group subsequently filed a complaint to police in February, the Khmer Times reported.

At the hearing, Gechhuong claimed that she herself had been swindled by a seller in Thailand who had failed to deliver the items, despite being sent 15,000 dollars.

She promised to repay the victims upon her release.