A lonely Thai pensioner was scammed after buying a sex doll through a fake online store.

The retiree Woonsen, 68, browsed Facebook marketplace to look for blow-up dolls to satisfy his urges in Bangkok, Thailand.

As he scanned through the catalogue, he came across the lifelike sex toy with long hair and perky breasts, being advertised on the page 'Female silicone sex dolls deliver all over Thailand'.

Woonsen said he placed an order for the 20,000 Baht (450 GBP) doll being sold at half price.

However, he began receiving suspicious payment requests over the next few days.

The seller reportedly requested additional fees, including 2,000 Baht for delivery, 6,000 Baht for customs, another 8,000 Baht for insurance and packaging.

Bizarrely, the shop called again demanding 7,000 baht because 'they were caught by police' selling the sex toy, which are illegal to buy and sell in Thailand.

Woonsen said he paid the fee to avoid trouble but less than an hour later, another call came demandingr 24,000 Baht 'to bribe the police and the press' to keep the order private. But by this point, Woonsen had enough and called the police.

Speaking on July 3, the pensioner said he was seeking sexual relief but did not want to hire prostitutes to satisfy his needs.

He said: 'The reason I wanted a sex doll is because when I was working abroad, I had one to help with health issues. Now that I've come back home, I wanted to keep one here too.

'I don't have a family or a wife, and I don't want the burden of a relationship with a living woman. That's why I decided to buy a doll. Many foreigners also do this. If I were to pay for a sex worker, there's a risk of catching dangerous diseases. Some can't be cured no matter how much money you have.

'These days, sex dolls are beautifully made and come with all the features you need. They're a good option.'

Woonsen claimed he was no longer interested in getting his money back, but filed a complaint to help vulnerable people like elderly men from being scammed by the shop.

He has still not received a doll.

(1 GBP = 44.33 THB)