Instagram personality sells luxury handbags for $2,000 each -- then returns fakes to stores

A Thai woman based in Virginia, America has been jailed for buying luxury handbags, returning counterfeit ones and pocketing the profits.

According to Elite Daily, 41-year-old Praepitcha Smatsorabudh would sell designer bags from high-end brands such as Gucci, Burberry and Fendi on eBay.

Over a number of years, she returned fakes and knock-offs from China to over 60 stores in the United States.

As the stores gave her full refunds, Smatsorabudh made even more money off the genuine items. She reportedly sold the real bags for around $2,000 each.

The woman would also flaunt the valuable goods and her lavish lifestyle on Instagram.

She managed to defraud stores out of a total of more than $400,000 before the alarm was raised.

T.J. Maxx was one of her biggest victims and its employee was the one who called the police.

Investigators unearthed emails from Smatsorabudh to fake handbag suppliers in which she praised their work and asked for more items.

"The best fake bag I’ve ever seen! Can you send me more… from this factory. They make bag IMPaCABLE [sic]!!!!" said one of her emails.

Smatsorabudh was finally arrested when an undercover Homeland Security officer posed as a buyer online and made a purchase from her.

After pleading guilty and being sentenced to 30 months in jail on Dec 21, she said, "What I did was so wrong. I deserve to be in jail."

Smatsorabudh, who committed the crimes "because of her compulsion to have expensive handbags", was also ordered to pay $403,250.81 in forfeiture.