Exposing the Thailand Scams http://www.bangkokscams.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:54:11 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/top-10-scams-in-thailand.html Most tourist destinations around the world have their scammers. Thailand is no different. However, what is more tragic here is that Thai people are naturally very hospitable. They love playing the host and welcoming guests to their country. I am sure many of us have seen this generosity on long train journeys when families share their meals with you. At my school, we often have tourists visiting for a tour. The school administration always welcomes the visitors and even gives them presents. In the early days, when it was still a novelty, we even took them to local tourist attractions and paid the admission costs for these complete strangers. That is how generous Thai people normally are. But, it is unfortunate that once they start to have prolonged contact with foreigners, they begin to change. It is no longer be our guest . They will lie, cheat and even blindly rob you into order to get as much money from you as they can. We started the website www.BangkokScams.com (/) in order to make people aware of some of the more common scams that take place in the Kingdom of Thailand. But, even we were overwhelmed by the large number of scams and comments that were being posted every day. These are not isolated incidents. Despite the warnings in guidebooks and in websites like ours, these scams are still happening. It is really tragic because some tourists get hurt so much that they will never return to Thailand again. Even worse, they will tell their friends to avoid our adopted country like the plague. I really feel sorry for the tourists who go to the Grand Palace on their last day only to be told by scammers that the palace is closed. I was there the other day with my sister and her family and we were told several times that the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and Wat Arun were all closed on that day. They said that it was our lucky day as they knew a temple called the Big Buddha which was open. What they didn't mention was that they would drag us to a gem store where we would get a hard sell to buy worthless gems. To help you be more street savvy on your next holiday in Thailand, we have decided to put together a top 10 of scams in Thailand. It is by no means definitive. If you have any scams that you would like to report, then please post them at www.BangkokScams.com (/). 1. The Grand Palace is Closed Scam - This scam can happen near any tourist attraction but still happens a lot outside the Grand Palace. As you approach, someone will tell you that the palace is closed for various reasons. Ignore them as you will end up in either a gem store or a tailor shop. 2. Thai Gem Scam - If you are not an expert on gems then I strongly urge you not to take the word of other people on how much money you can make if you sell these gems on return to your home country. People are losing a lot of money every day. Don't make the mistake that you are different. 3. Wrong Change Scam - A common scam at places like 7-Eleven and Family Mart in tourist areas is to give you change as if you gave them a 500 baht note instead of a 1,000 baht note. Many tourists are not familiar with Thai money and often give the wrong money or don't notice that their change is incorrect. Most shops will say out loud the denomination of any paper money you give them. Check your change! 4. Jet Ski Scam - Many people in Pattaya and Phuket are being scammed after renting jet skis. When you come back after your fun, they will point out scratches and dents in the jet ski and they will demand large sums of money. What they fail to mention is that a dozen other customers have already paid for those scratches. If you rent anything, be it motorcycle, car or jet ski, make sure all scratches and dents are documented. 5. Patpong Sex Show Scam - Don't believe the touts outside who say free sex shows and drinks for only 100 baht each. You will end up paying a bill in the thousands. Stay clear if you are alone as they can turn violent if you refuse to pay. 6. Hualamphong Scam - Outside the train station you will meet official looking people who will say they will help you book the seats. They take you to their nearby travel agent and pretend to ring the train booking office. They then say the train is full and your only way to travel is on one of their buses. 7. Long Distance Bus Scam - Many people have had things stolen from their bags on overnight bus trips. Some have even reported they were drugged and found their money missing when they woke up. 8. Airport Taxi Scam - Official looking touts will pretend that they are meter taxis and tell you that it is 500-1000 baht to go into town. The meter taxi outside is less than half this. The police have tried to crack down on them but they are back. Ignore anyone who asks if you want a taxi. The real taxi drivers are waiting outside by their cars. 9. Blackjack Scam - This usually starts when someone asks you where you are from. If you say, New York, then he will say he has a sister who will be going to study there. He then asks if you can go and meet her as she has some questions. At their house, you somehow end up playing blackjack with them. They then ask you to help cheat someone out of their money. Don't get tempted as it is you who is being scammed. 10. My Girlfriend is Pregnant Scam - A popular scams these days is your long distance girlfriend writing to you to say she is pregnant with your baby. She either asks for help to pay for the aboriton or for money to raise the baby. What she doesn't tell you is that she has already written to five other foreigners telling them that they are the father too. The latest gimmick is some medicine circulating in Isaan that swells their belly to make them look pregnant in case you fly in to visit them. The only way to know for sure is to go with them to the doctors to get an ultrasound. Please remember, most scammers are successful because they play on the greed of their victims. If something is too good to be true then it probably is. As kind as Thai people are, they are also very shy. If you are approached by a well spoken Thai person on the street then the chances are high that this person is a scammer. Thai people are not normally so forward. However, please give them the benefit of the doubt unless, of course, they give you the codeword Big Buddha or Lucky Buddha . This is then their admission of guilt. Finally, it is sad to report that there are now foreigners praying on helpless tourists. So, be weary of any unsolicited help. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:39:56 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/a-guide-to-beating-the-scammers.html Every since www.bangkokscams.com (/) started up, the site has been flooded with reports (3 today!) and a lot of them, since they’ve stirred folk’s anger have been popular with commenteers. After receiving so much feed back, we have decided to do something about it and started investigating some of the reports. The first of which last week led to a waitress getting fired from her job on Khao Sarn Rd, she’s moved to another restaurant doing the road, but we’ll be on her shins soon. Using a couple of contacts, we had also decided that for more serious scams, to get the cops in on the action. All reports, of course, have to be verified as true as possible before we’re gonna get involved. The waitress above had, according to colleagues, a history of cheating. So, just for a bitta practical fun and worthy advice, I’ve decided to write up on some ‘beating the scammers’ hints and also some on ‘scambaiting’ techniques. If you haven’t the faintest to what scambaiting is, it is in fact when you turn the tides and the scammer ends up the victim, serving them right or as they say in Thai ‘Som nam nah’. There are loadsa variations to how these scams work, but I’ll write the script for the more popular ones Scambaiting the Scammer 10 Baht Tuk-Tuk driver, Cheating Indian Tailor and Over-Priced ‘Supposed’ Government Jewelry Store. Now, this is really easy and it can be quite a bitta fun. After your tuk-tuk driver has explained that the Grand Palace is closed due to repair or some other bull story and advises you to visit The Big Buddha or Lucky Buddha Temple for the likes of 10 baht, just say ‘Sounds Great!’ So, after seeing a couple of mediocre temples, your scamming your thieving scruffy tuk-tuk driver will lie to you about getting fuel coupons if you pop into a tailors shop for 10 minutes (he gets commission whether you buy or not but you have to look a bit interested or the tailor will think the tuk-tuk driver is trying to scam him!!). After walking in the shop, the pot-bellied tailored will ask if you would like a coffee, advised him that you would prefer a beer and make it quick. If you’re lucky you’ll get one. Next, when he gives you a set of greasy catalogues to look at, seem interested but explain that you are living on a budget of 250baht a day and anyway you don’t need a suit as you a student back home. Then, just for cheek of it, ask for another beer. After you get booted out the door, the tuk-tuk driver will be well pished-off that he didn’t get any commission. Next up, he will be saying that to get his ‘fuel coupons’, you will have to pop into a phony ‘government’ jewelry store. On arrival you will be approached by a nice polite womn who will offer you a drink, sure you can get a free beer and perhaps two here. In the meantime, flirt with the girl for fun and keep the tuk-tuk geezer waiting for half an hour while you are having a laugh. Next, while walking around with the sales woman, pretend you’re more interesting in taking her to a discotheque or even a hotel room for a quick bonk than you are of buying gems. After you leave the shop, your tuk-tuk driver is gonna be completely pished-off! No commission again for bringing in a couple of sex-tourist drunkards. Tell him to get lost and hail over a taxi otherwise you will call the police. Scambaiting/Beating the Scamming Scummer Airport Taxi Drivers When walking out of arrivals and some scammer tout comes up to you and offers you an over-priced taxi into town – no meter of course, just say ‘Sounds Great!’ On the way downtown, ask your idiot taxi driver to stop off at a couple of 7-11s (spend 10 minutes each time looking around, wasting his time) and then at a garage for the toilet. All this time, the scammer will be getting pished-off and perhaps put the fair up, if so just reply ‘Sounds Great, no worries Mr Isarn!’. On arrival at the hotel, jump screaming out of the taxi shouting ‘Scammer, refused to turn the meter on!’ The driver is in trouble here, he has nothing over you. If the hotel security guard calls the police in, he could get a heavy fine even arrested. Afraid of this, he will ask how much you wanna pay. Agree to 200 Baht, that will do – if you are in a stinking mood, just refuse to pay altogether. Unfortunately for him, he’s gotta give the tout at the airport who found you a 100 Baht commission. Beating the Private Jewelry Stores There are variations to this worst-of-the-worst scam, but I’ll stick to one of the more popular. You have just got out of The Temple of the Emerald Buddha or Erawan Shrine and you are approached by a well-dressed man (may be a woman even). After acting all kind and perhaps taking you for a drink, he then explains to you that he is in the jewelry business and knows where you can buy amazing bargain gems (often to sell for a profit to his brother’s shop in the likes of London). And these scammers are selling big - you invest 50,000 and sell them on to their make-believe partner shop abroad for 70,000!. You end up buying crap quality gems that would cost the fraction of the cost back home. If you are dumb enough to buy/invest in them, go to the tourist cops straight away with your receipt, there’s a chance you’ll get your money back. Sorry, but like one guy who posted on BangkokScams, there is no way you’re gonna get a refund if you find out back home. The Thai Embassy can do nowt on your behalf. If the tourist cops are slow or uninterested go to the Tourist Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Head Office on Phetchaburi Road and explain the scam to them. The TAT loathes these jewelry scammers and they’ll be on the phone to the tourist cops telling them to get their backsides into gear. For a complete list of these scamming scheming swindling shops see www.2bangkok.com (http://www.2bangkok.com/) Beating the Scamming Restaurants (this advice was given to Bangkokscams by the police) If your scamming smelly tuk-tuk driver advises a delicious seafood restaurant, just say ‘Sounds Great!’ You will be given a menu with no prices on it. Order loadsa food and enjoy. In the meantime spot where the Thai language menus are kept. When you have finished eating, you will be given a bill for an extortionate amount of money. Refuse to pay before you see a menu with the prices on (perhaps see if the Thai language menu has prices on it). In the event the boss threatens to call in the police, say you don’t care and tell them you know the law. The law states that all menus in Thailand must have the prices written in them (owner has theoretically broken the law). If there is no price in them, that means the food doesn’t cost anything! The owner has nothing over you, if the cops come, explain that your Police Colonel friend had explained the law to you while he was holidaying in England a couple of months ago. The cops will believe your connection as otherwise they wouldn’t believe you know about such law. Finally, the cops will probably ask you to pay the equivalent (may be cheaper even) of the usual price elsewhere. Go-go Bar Scam You are walking along Patpong Road and some pathetic looking tout invites you to an a go-go bar upstairs performing ping-pong, darts and horny snake shows. You are told a beer is a 100 baht, but when you get the bill it is for 1,500 (tout downstairs forgot to tell you there was a huge cover charge). The scammers in there are violently dangerous, don’t get into a fight (a Japanese guy was murdered a few years ago in one of those bars). Tell them politely that you need a receipt to get your money back from the company (entertainment expenses). Act dumb and play it nice, like it’s not your money they are ripping off. Outside, go straight to the tourist cops, there is a good chance you will get your money back. Anyway, if you do want to see such a sinful show (or any a go-go bar that is) only go into one that is managed by King’s Group Co. Ltd. All there bars have a huge plaque outside saying so. King’s Group upstairs a go-gos are the only non-scams on Patpong. Their downstairs a go-go are also by far and away the best. Card Game Scam You are at Chatuchak Weekend Market and approached by a middle aged women (perhaps man). After befriending you she invites you to play cards (she knows how to cheat). At first you win loads but after that you lose it all. Sorry buddy, the cops can do nothing – gambling is illegal and you’ll end up getting fined a 1,000 baht. Anyway, serves you right for trying cheat in the first place. (For men only) Beating the Scamming Scheming Ladies of the Night who Claim they are ‘Proper’ Thai Ladies (this advice was given to Bangkokscams by the police) You are in Khao Sarn Road or Ratchadaphisek and some girl comes to chat you up. She claims she is a hair-dresser or office worker etc…. (This makes her even worse than a bar-girl as she’s not admitting she’s working the game) If she asks you to a hotel and you fancy her, state which hotel you want to go to. Ensure beforehand that the hotel requires you to check in with ID. Inform the scammer that you didn’t bring your passport and tell her to check-in with her ID Card. That means she has invited ‘you’ to her room and she is entitled to no financial compensation (that’s what they call it in Thailand to get around the law and prostitution). She can do absolutely nothing. Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:44:09 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/undercover-at-the-airport.html One of the most common questions we have been receiving recently in our mailbox and at the ThailandQA.com forums (http://www.thailandqa.com/) is how to go from the new airport at Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya. I had been planning to pay a return visit to the airport ever since people have been telling us about the limousine scams. Basically, what happens is that when you pass through Immigration and Customs and come out into the arrival lounge, you are accosted by this mob of people who want you to take their so called taxi to your destination. If you ask about public taxis they often say that there isn’t any. Back in April, the Airport Authority of Thailand announced that they will move the public taxis up to the second floor so that it is on the same level as the arrival lounge. Also in the newspaper recently, there were reports of security cracking down on unauthorized tour agents at the airport. I decided to head over there this afternoon to do some undercover work for our sister blogs at BangkokScams.com (/). I wanted to know whether the situation had improved. I dressed up to look like a passenger who had just gotten off the plane. I even took along a small backpack to complete the image of a tourist. When you come out of customs you have a choice of turning left or right. On both sides you will pass through crowds of waiting people. My plan was to go in one of these exits, walk around and then walk out the other exit to make it look like I had just arrived in Thailand. They have security at these exits and you are not really supposed to walk through. However, I avoided eye contact and just kept walking. Usually works. In this no-man’s-land I saw some new signs which clearly said which direction to go for public taxi, airport express and shuttle bus. I then walked out the opposite exit. To my surprise, there wasn’t one single taxi tout. There only people waiting were people holding signs with names on and members of the public. Looks like there had been a clean up after all. There a number of different ways to go to Pattaya. I first wanted to check out the taxi. The newspaper had said that the public taxi would be moved to the second floor by now so I made my way outside. Straight away it was “Hello sir. Where do you want to go?” I said Pattaya and they replied, “No problem sir. Only 2,600 baht!” I told him that was expensive. I asked about the public taxis but he wasn’t interested to help. So, I just kept walking. The problem is, once you stop for one tout, then the rest of the vultures start to circle and swoop. The average price for the limousine service to Pattaya seemed to be about 1,400 baht. However, one shady guy went as far as 800 baht as I was walking away. I asked him why so cheap and he said that Pattaya was his home town and he wanted to go home! Back inside the arrival lounge, I decided to ask for help. I knew of course that the public taxis were on the level below. But, I wanted to see how much help I would get. I went up to a security guard and asked him where the public taxis were. He correctly told me to keep walking towards the escalators and then go down to level one. At least one honest person. There were a few signs around pointing the way, but I still saw other tourists looking lost and trying to find their way. Downstairs I went up to the official counter for the public taxis. This is the place where you have to pay a 50 baht surcharge. I asked if I could go to Pattaya by taxi. He said yes and that it would be 1,400 baht. I said that was a bit expensive and could I go to Pattaya by bus. He said yes, but I would have to take a taxi into Bangkok first. I asked him if there was any buses to Pattaya from the airport. He again said no and that I need to go to Ekamai bus station. Of course that was a complete lie. Again, I knew very well how to get to the bus terminal at the airport. But, I wanted to pretend I was a tourist fresh off the boat. Up in the arrivals lounge there were two signs for buses. One said “Airport Express” and the other “Airport Shuttle”. Not too clear which one is which. So, I went to the desk for Airport Express which is next to the taxi rank. They provide a bus service into Bangkok for 150 baht each. I asked the lady on duty where I can catch a bus to Pattaya. She said she didn’t know and suggested I asked the security guard. Which I did and he said I needed to get on the Shuttle Bus back up on level 2 to the bus terminal at the airport. So, up I went to the arrival lounge again and then outside where I had to deal with the limousine drivers again. At first they didn’t want to help me find the shuttle bus stop, but in the end they did help me. Actually, they are easy to find. There are stops at each end of level 2 and also in the middle. The ride to the bus terminal only took about ten minutes. Make sure you take the express bus and not the ordinary one. The former is not only quicker but has room for your luggage too. At the bus terminal there were buses for destinations inside Bangkok and also other cities. Walk to the far end where you will see bilingual signs above the coaches. The orange ones are for other cities in the country. The ticket office there has a big sign for a company called The Transport Ltd. I asked about Pattaya and they told me there was a bus about to go in ten minutes. How much? Only 106 baht! A big difference to my first quoted price of 2,600 baht for a limo. They have buses going at 6.30 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. I was about to walk away when I noticed another sign in the same window for a different company called Pattaya Bus. These had buses at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. There is a 7–Eleven here if you arrive at the wrong time. I bought some hot dogs and sat and waited to see if the Pattaya bus would leave on time. While I waited, some public buses from Bangkok came and went. They were going to other destinations like Chonburi but I guess there would be some for Pattaya too. The disadvantage about these buses is that they all looked full. However, the private buses I mentioned before started at the airport and were empty. I think if you have a two hour wait then don’t rush to buy your ticket from the private company. Wait and see if a public bus comes and then pay the driver. So, not too many scams after all. To summarize, when you come out of customs and enter the arrival lounge, follow the sign to the lower level if you want to go to Pattaya by taxi for about 1,200 – 1,400 baht. Or go outside and take the shuttle bus to the airport bus terminal for the private buses to Pattaya for only 106 baht. The third alternative are the limousines for 2,400 – 2,600 baht. From the Airport to Bangkok For most people heading to Bangkok, the easiest and most convenient method is by public taxi. Don’t be fooled by the people that come up to you asking where you are going. They are more often than not private limousine companies. On average, they will charge about 900 baht for a trip into Central Bangkok. It will be cheaper for you if you take the escalater down one floor and then out to where the public meter taxis are waiting. There is more than one taxi rank, and if the nearest one has a long queue, then just walk a few minutes to the next one. There is a desk here where you are expected to pay a 50 baht surcharge. Tell them where you want to go. If you want to go into Bangkok, then insist that the taxi uses the meter. Say to the taxi driver in Thai “bert meter”. For longer distances, it is common to negotiate a price. For example, to Pattaya it is about 1,400 baht. Some taxis into Bangkok don’t want to put on the meter. They might ask for something like 500 baht. It is actually against the law for them to carry a passenger without using the meter. They have been fined by the police in the past. A trip into Bangkok would cost you at least 250 baht on the meter – this includes the surcharge and the 40 baht tollway if you go that way. It shouldn’t be more than 350 baht. Though that depends a lot on the traffic. Another alternative from the same floor are the Airport Express buses. These run on four set routes for a fare of 150 baht per person. This is alright if you are alone and the bus passes near your hotel. But, two or three people with not a lot of luggage are advised to share costs of using a public taxi. The three Airport Express Routes are as follows: AE1 Suvarnabhumi – Silom Rd. (by expressway) AE2 Suvarnabhumi – Khao San Rd.(by expressway) AE3 Suvarnabhumi – Central World via Sukhumvit Rd. AE4 Suvarnabhumi – Hua Lamphong Train Station via Victory Monument The final method is by normal public buses. It is the cheapest method at only 35 baht ($1) however, it is more inconvenient. You will need to catch a free shuttle bus back up on the arrival lounge floor. This then takes you the short distance to the bus terminal in the airport. Here you will find regular buses into Bangkok. One of them even goes past my house in Samut Prakan. The bus routes are as follows: 549 Suvarnabhumi-Minburi-Bangkapi via Seri Thai Rd. 550 Suvarnabhumi-Happy Land 551 Suvarnabhumi-Victory Monument (by expressway) 552 Suvarnabhumi-Khlong Toei (Customs Dept.) via Onnut BTS station 552A Suvarnabhumi-Samut Prakarn (Praeksa Garage) 553 Suvarnabhumi-Samut Prakarn (Crocodile Farm Garage) 554 Suvarnabhumi-Rangsit via Don Mueang and Ram Indra Rd. (by expressway) 555 Suvarnabhumi-Rangsit via Don Mueang and Central Plaza LadPhrao (by expressway) 556 Suvarnabhumi-Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal via Democracy Monument and Khaosan Rd.(by expressway) 557 Suvarnabhumi-Wong Wian Yai (The Great Circle) 558 Suvarnabhumi-Central Plaza Rama II 559 Suvarnabhumi-Future Park Rangsit via Dream World (by expressway) Unless you are familiar with bus routes, I would advise you to go by public meter taxi. Just make sure you make a note of the details of the taxi driver. To the left of the front windscreen, on the inside, is the name of the driver in English and Thai and also his registration number. This could be useful later if you forget something in the taxi or you have a dispute with the driver regarding the fare.If you can wait two years, there will also be an Airport Link train with its own station in the basement of the airport. Sat, 02 Jun 2007 13:00:00 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/undercover-at-hua-lamphong-station.html Hua Lamphong Train Station At BangkokScams.com (/), someone recently sent us a report of a scam that they experienced at the Bangkok train station at Hua Lamphong. This station is a major terminal that serves lines to the north, northeast, east and south of Thailand. We were told that last year he was scammed by a Thai person that told him that there were no seats left on the train and that he would be better off going by coach. He was then taken to a nearby travel agents. I decided to do some undercover work and I drove into Bangkok yesterday to see if I could duplicate this scam. Time had passed and I wanted to know if the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) or the State Railway of Thailand had clamped down on this scam or not. I walked into the station from the side entrance. I had a daypack to give the impression that I was going on a short trip somewhere. I decided my destination would be Surat Thani. I wandered around a bit looking lost to see if I could get any nibbles. Nothing. On the far side of the concourse was a large information booth that looked official. I decided to go over there and ask for a timetable for the train. I felt that I needed more props. Next to the counter there was a sign that warned people in English not to trust anyone that came up to you to sell tickets. It was starting to look like maybe that the local authorities were actually doing something about the scams here after all. But, I decided to persevere. I continued to wander around in circles looking lost and confused. I glanced down at the timetable and then up at the ticket booths. Finally I got a bite. A guy came up to me with an official looking i.d. card around his neck that said “Tourist Information”. He asked in good English where I was going. I said Surat Thani. He then asked where I would go next. I said Koh Samui. Then I kicked myself. I had pronounced it with a Thai accent. I should have said “ko” as in “low”. He continued to give me advice but didn’t offer to buy me tickets or anything. No sign of a scam but this guy was being too helpful to be true. Out of the corner of my eye I could see other scammers lurking but they were keeping their distance. I decided to leave and approach the station again from a different direction. I saw your picture on BangkokScams.com - go away! Around the front of the station I had better luck. I spotted three Thai ladies working the farang crowd. Around their neck they were wearing i.d. cards. It wasn’t long before I was approached and she asked me where I was going. I repeated my story. She told me that she worked for the Tourist Authority of Thailand, she flashed me the official logo, and said she would take me to the travel agents to buy the train ticket. She took me around the side of the station where I could see a row of shops all with the words “TAT” on banners. One even said “Lonely Planet” as if the famous publisher approved of them. Now, I knew that to be a travel agent you need to have a license from the TAT. But this scam artist was giving me the impression that her office WAS the TAT. You should know that the TAT only give out free tourism information. They don’t sell tickets. So, don’t be fooled by these people. She took me to the shop called Tongchai Tour and I was told to sit down. She promptly left to look for more prey. I decided to play along to see where this was going. I got a free drink which was good as I was thirsty by this time. I told the travel agent where I wanted to go. He said that there were two trains that I could catch. Actually, I already knew that there were eleven trains per day that went to Surat Thani as I had the timetable in my pocket. So, lie number one. I said that I wanted to go for the 7.30 p.m. train. He said he would ring and check. After a short phone conversation he told me the bad news. No tickets left. However, I was in luck. I could catch one of their VIP buses that would take me to Koh Samui for only 900 baht. I said I would think about. I asked for his namecard so that I could ring him about it later. Mr. Janchai gave me his card and I left. Some of the travel agents the scammer represent Now, this wasn’t a positive scam yet, though he was giving me misleading information about the number of trains available. He should have said to me, “could I go at another time”. I needed to confirm it was a scam by going back to the station to see if I could still buy a ticket by myself. This is easy to do. You can in fact book tickets up to 60 days in advance so there is no real need for you to use any of these local travel agents. If you go to the concourse, at the far side there is the information booth that I told you about (see picture below). There is a sign here pointing out the advance booking office. When I went in, the place was empty, but very efficient. I asked the guy in English about the availability of tickets on the Surat Thani train. He said that there were some left but they were running out fast. That confirmed it. I was scammed. I don’t know who Mr Janchai telephoned, but it obviously wasn’t this office. Whenever you are travelling in Thailand, don’t trust blindly anyone that approaches you and who speaks in perfect English. As a rule, Thai people are shy and are nervous about using English. These people all had i.d. cards around their neck. Some said TAT. It is easy for the scammers to make these cards themselves. They are two a penny. If you are at a train or bus station then buy the ticket yourself. There is no need to make use of these scam artists who just want to direct you to travel agents which give them a nice fat commission. There is no point giving these guys a commission when you can easily do everything yourself. One final word. Only a small minority of Thai people that work in the Tourism industry are scammers. If you are approached by a Thai person then please give them the benefit of the doubt. If you are not sure about their integrity, then just say politely that you have to go. If you know that they are a scammer then just tell them that you saw their picture on BangkokScams.com (/)! Mon, 14 May 2007 08:22:39 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/undercover/tourist-scams-in-bangkok.html A scammer offering you a bath at Wat Inthawawihan I have been to Bangkok many times. I have heard people talk about all these scams but I have never once knowingly been scammed. The place where I parked the car on Sunday with our Steve was exactly where I have parked before. It is my base for exploring the area. I then either walk or go by tuk tuk. Never have I been approached by scam artists. I went there with Steve, we took about a dozen steps away from the car and then the vultures starting swooping in for the kill. As one guy was showing Steve places on the map, I could see other scammers circling in the distance. For the following three hours we just went from one scam to the next. It was relentless. So, why this sudden interest? Did we have a sign above our heads that said something like “fresh off the boat”? I of course blame our Steve. He was so dressed the part as a tourist. Cap, t-shirt, sunglasses, shorts and rucksack. But, I think the clincher was the map. I don’t think they would have approached us if Steve wasn’t holding a map. This was an essential prop to their scam. They needed to give us suggestions of different places we could visit. The only thing that we didn’t have was a piece of paper. For some reason all of them wanted to write these destinations down for us. Recently, Steve gave us a rundown of The Great Tuk Tuk Scam (http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php?blog=8 title=the_great_tuk_tuk more=1 c=1 tb=1 pb=1). What I will do today is give you some of the side-scams. The first one was at Wat Inthawawihan. This has a large 32 metre high Standing Buddha. The scammers call this place the Big Buddha. I hadn’t been to that place for a long time. Although the Buddha image was beautiful (and around the back there was an interesting row of Buddhas for each day of the week) I will now boycott this temple. Why? Because it is a scammers temple. Take a look at the sign in the top picture. Release the birds in the cage for 90 baht. He must be joking. At the most it should be 20 baht. But, that is beside the point. If you ever go to a temple, please do not pay money to release birds or fish. This is cruelty to the highest extreme. Many abbots of temples have banned these people from their grounds. This is not a Buddhist practice. You are supposed to be making merit by releasing the birds. But, by doing so, you are encouraging this vendor to catch and cage more wild animals. The abbot of Wat Inthawaihan should be ashamed of himself. Not only allowing this vendor to be on his grounds, but allowing this scam artist to trick foreigners into paying 90 baht. I am sorry, but I feel very strongly on this matter. No Photo, I am the Security Guard – Wat Sitaram Not far from the Golden Mount, there is a temple hidden away that goes by the name of Wat Sitaram. I was pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the Buddha images here. I was happily snapping away when this seedy little guy approached us. His English was quite good which is always a giveaway. SCAM ARTIST 100%. The second clue is that Thai people do not usually approach complete strangers in the street. He was quite friendly at first and explained a few rules. He said he was the security guard and that as we weren’t Buddhists we weren’t allowed to take any photos. I was perplexed and said to him that I have never been to a temple where you weren’t allowed to take photos in the temple grounds. I said, where does it say you cannot take a photo? He then pointed to a sign behind me. Now, I have taken pictures of hundreds of signs for our LearningThai.com (http://www.learningthai.com/) website. I have seen many signs that say “no photos” in Thai. This one most definitely was not saying that. In fact it was talking about Dharma. So, I took a quick photo for later reference. Then the guy got angry and said, “I told you not to take pictures.” I think by this time he realized there was something suspicious about us. We had deviated away from the script. This guy was supposed to befriend us and mention that by chance there was a one day sale at the local government run tailor/gem shop. “Oh really?”, we were supposed to reply. “What a coincidence, our tuk tuk driver was about to take us there. You know, at first we thought the tuk tuk guy was scamming us, but as you are saying the same thing then in must be true.” Then he would have said, “Well, you better not delay in this temple much longer taking pictures, you should rush to the government run tailor shop before they close. They are only open once a year.” I am sorry, but this guy was so extremely rude to us. I have never met anyone like him in my life. This guy was a scammer big time and this temple was his lair. If the abbot knows about this scammer then he should be ashamed of himself. I really want to go back to this temple, but I honestly think that the only way that I can avoid this guy is if I speak Thai to him. The Bird Lady giving Steve the Victory Sign For the first two hours, we were being scammed almost non-stop. Not only by the tuk tuk driver with his broken promises and outright lies, but scam artists that we met along the way. And amongst them I do include the tailor shop and the jewelry shop that we visited. Scammers the whole lot of them. They all should be ashamed. Anyway, we finally managed to persuade the guy to take us to the Grand Palace. The last time I came here from the place where I parked my car it was about 40 baht in a tuk tuk. Today it cost only 10 baht. Of course, we had a slight deviation away from the route which took us two hours. But, along the way we visited two temples, had some refreshments (we could have had a cold beer apparently), and had the run of some really nice toilet facilities. Not so bad, until we later found out that we were scammed. Another tuk tuk driver later offered the same “scam tour” for only 5 baht! Of course, they probably would have done it for free as they were only interested in getting their fat commission for taking us to these shops. Anyway, moving on. I was a bit tired by this time and wanted a break before the next scam. I think we walked literally two steps before we were thrown into the middle of the next scam. This involved the Bird Lady. I think I was sill a little dazed from our previous scam so didn’t really understand why this fat lady kept thrusting half empty bags of bird food into my hands. She then gestured for me to feed the birds. I thought rather strange. Maybe this was a Thai custom of welcome to foreigners to the palace of His Majesty the King. So, I took her advice and scattered a few seeds on the floor. “More, more,” she encouraged us. Steve didn’t really want anything to do with her as she was getting really pushy. So, in the end, just to make her happy, I took the little plastic bags and threw the contents to her birds on the ground. I then gave back to her the bags and we started to walk on towards the Palace. “Twenty baht. You give me Twenty baht!” Oh what. You must be kidding. Can’t we at least have a short break between scams? The only way we got rid of her in the end was when I started taking pictures of her. That is when she started swearing at us in Thai. I would like to remind you again that all of this was happening in front of the Grand Palace. Don’t tell anyone else, I can give you special price of only 1,000 baht each We darted across the road and were immediately confronted by people selling oriental umbrellas. “400 baht. Only 400 baht for you Madame.” No thank, you. And anyway, I am not Madame, I am Mister. I smiled at her. “OK, I like your smile. For you, only 300 baht.” No, it is alright, I am really not interested. “Mister, I need to buy milk for my baby.” Then about 100 metres further down the road she said, “Alright, I give you special price Mister. 150 baht.” By this time I was tired and hungry. I said to Steve lets go and get something to eat near the pier. Two more steps and then “Boat mister, you want a boat. Only 1,000 baht each person.” As there were two of us, this meant 2,000 baht. As you know, I was here the other week with my brother and we paid 600 for the both of us. I told Steve that I wanted to check this out as for some reason the prices seemed much higher than what I had been told before. Maybe because we were still only speaking English. I said “no” to this guy and kept walking. Up front I spotted another women that seemed to be herding us towards the right hand side of the pier. She hadn’t actually approached us yet, but as she kept glancing back I knew she was a scammer. I whispered to Steve to quickly do a left turn to see what she would do. “Mister, mister, you cannot go that way!” I thought she must be joking. There were two entrances to the pier. I could choose either. “You no go that way. That is one way.” That was absolute rubbish and a complete lie. She just wanted to stop us going to a rival boat owner. I had enough by this time. There were too many scams one after the other. Each one was very much in our faces. I told Steve that we need to break cover if only for a lunch break. So, we found a nice little food shop near the pier, and Steve, in perfect colloquial Thai, ordered us some lunch. I asked how much for two dishes ove the rice and we were told “30 baht”. That sounded about right. At last we could relax. We really needed to recharge our batteries as we were about to walk the complete perimeter of the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is closed at the moment, I will take you to these other places first and then when you come back at 3 p.m. you will see that the Grand Palace is free! Now, before I continue, I just want to pause and say that not all Thai people here are scam artists. In two different locations I asked a couple of vendors in English how much a bottle of water was. They both said “10 baht” which is a fair price. There is hope left. Now let’s continue with the scams. We were first approached near the exit to the Grand Palace. As the scammer was busy telling Steve that the Grand Palace was closed today I snapped a few photos of a sign next to him that said in English and Thai: “Don’t trust strangers. The Grand Palace is open every day.” He then proceeded to tell us about the Big Buddha and the Lucky Buddha. He said he could arrange for 40 baht to take us there and then bring us back here at 3 p.m. when the Grand Palace would be opened for free! Wow! We carried on walking. Fifty steps later and we had another similar offer. This was right in front of the palace. Hey dude, I am not blind, I can see people going inside! Do you think we look stupid or something? We carried on walking because Steve was trying to find a jewelry scam guy. The third and fourth scammer said much the same. Apparently we were in luck because the Big Buddha is only open this one day of the year. We declined all of their offers because they wanted to take us to the same places we had just been to. We were now walking down the east side of the Grand Palace towards Wat Pho. In the distance Steve spotted a smart guy in a shirt and tie. This looked like the gem shop scammer. As we approached him Steve got out his map hoping to get a bite. No luck. It then dawned on us. We were the wrong kind of tourists. We were too shabbily dressed. This guy was only looking for big spenders for the gem shops. Not backpackers. When we rounded the corner of the Grand Palace, the story of the scammers changed slightly. “Today Wat Pho closed for special ceremony. You go to Lucky Buddha. It is only open this one day.” We kept on walking around the next corner and back towards our starting point. The first scammer on this side pointed to a closed door and said “Look see the Grand Palace is closed today.” Yeah right. This is the private entrance. I think by this time we were both really annoyed by the utter contempt and lies that were spewing out of the mouths of these guys. They called themselves Thais but were lying about the palace of their revered King. Did they not have any respect for H.M. The King? Shame on them all. At this last one, in the picture above, I whispered to Steve to keep this guy busy while I went and had a chat in Thai with the soldier on guard duty. I asked him if the Grand Palace was really closed today. He said no, it is open. Then I said, why is that guy over there saying that it is closed? Is he lying? Then for some treason he started getting nervous and changed his story. The Grand Palace is closed today, he said. Are you sure? Then he told me to go and speak to his supervisor. However, by that time the scammer knew the game was up and had already departed. Steve said that he had spotted me talking to the guard and quickly changed his tact to being a helpful stranger who was just giving directions. Shame on that soldier for not stopping what was so obviously a scam. This is not a new phenomenon. These exact scams have been going on here for many years. Everyone knows about it. The Tourist Authority of Thailand knows about it. But the soldiers on duty and the TAT allow it to continue. Shame on them all. I feel so sorry for the tourists who come here on their last day only to be told that the Grand Palace is closed. And then they are taken on a wild ride to some shameful temples and scamming shops. I am sorry, but this day was so distressing and overpowering. None of these so called Thai people had any respect for H.M. The King. How dare they stand in front and lie to tourists that his Grand Palace is closed. Something must be done. Will it? Sadly, it is very doubtful. Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0100