Latest reports of scams in Thailand http://www.bangkokscams.com Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:30:09 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/filipino-scammers-in-bangkok-2.html On the morning of July 7 I left my hotel in Sukhumvit Road to walk into central Bangkok. A young woman of perhaps 30 and a Filipino man of about 50 approached me in a friendly manner. Finding I was English, the man said that his sister was coming to London to work as a hospital nurse. As she was apprehensive about living in Britain, he asked if I would come to his home to reassure her. I said I would be happy to help as, by coincidence, my grandson was also a nurse in London. He called a taxi and after 15 minutes we arrived at an attractive bungalow set in a garden. I accepted a soft drink and the sister came and sat beside me. I spoke to her about nursing in London and she listened politely. Then the man asked me to come into another room, where he produced a pack of cards and said he would educate me in the secrets of card play. By this time I seemed to be floating in a dreamlike place. I started giggling, which annoyed the man. He asked to see my wallet and roughly went through it. Other people came and went. We played cards but I had no idea what I was doing. He then took my camera and put it in a cupboard. I was incapable of saying or doing anything. Finally, I was told to get into a taxi and taken to a modern shopping complex by the man and his nurse sister. I was told to hand my bank card to a shop assistant. I remember signing the till printouts and seeing the man and his sister head off with shopping bags. The taxi driver then took me back to my hotel. It was not until I reached my room that my brain seemed to clear and the enormity of what I had done dawned on me. It was clear I had been drugged. I phoned my bank to cancel my debit card but three transactions totalling £2,550 had already been cleared and the money taken from my account. The following morning the Filipino man rang my hotel room and made it clear that I should tell nobody. He said if I told the police then we would both go to a Thai jail (I had already informed the police and the British embassy). Fortunately, I did not hear from him again. It was such a frightening experience that I want to warn other travellers to Bangkok. I will not be able to recover any of the £2,550 because I had voluntarily signed for the sums being taken from my account. Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:40:30 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/bangkok-litter-police.html Hi Guys, I travelled to Thailand last year and have done so for the last 9 years. I love the place, so when reading this story please dont feel threatened and not visit this beautiful country. I was in the heart of Bangkok with my girlfriend, and upon butting a cigarette butt on the floor a police officer (well dressed as a police officer) confronted me and insisted me pay a fine of 2000 baht. I was willing to pay the fine, but my girlfriend asked the question for this officer to show us his ID. Upon asking this, the officer pulled us away to a side street to talk about the matter further out of public view. He showed us a dodgy ID and a pamplet on the fine for littering. Upon arguing the matter, he then degraded the fine to 1000 baht. My girlfriend was still unhappy with this and refused to pay and explained it was our first time to this country and it wasnt fair. He then agreed to offer us a warning as the conversation was getting heated and the public was noticed watching. He said you have warning and walked off quickly very nervous. Now we did the wrong thing, but this is a story to be aware of these sort of people that will scam money for anything. If my girlfriend never disputed the fine, then we would of paid the fine and left, like many other tourists have done in the past. Lesson : Be confident - stand your ground, and always quote that you want to be taken to the tourist police if things get nasty. Besides that, just keep your eyes and ears open and be aware and you will be fine. Enjoy! Joe Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:18:39 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/scammed-by-a-brit-on-the-street.html A couple of years ago (2007) I was walking around Central Chitlom and was approached by an English guy who asked me very nicely, excuse me Sir do you speak English. Off course I said yes and he went on, thanks God I meet you, I am so lucky you speak English and explains to me that his girlfriend took all his money and ran away leaving him with not enough to go home and added plenty of details... He asked if I could help and give him 500 Baht. I argued that a bus to his place would cost maximum 50B and he said ok can you help me with that... The guy is about 45 or plus, is not tall average built and wear usual clothes, he has a VERY strong British accent. I told him I did not buy his story as too many things sounded fishy and he should leave me alone. A few months ago, the same guy approached me in Emporium and started the same story, I did not immediately recognised his face but his accent and the story was so similar that I knew who he was, and I told him he approached me before and he just walked away. Telling my story to a friend, he told me he was scammed by the same guy for 500 Baht... Judging by the number of tourists he can approach, with just a few lucky hits a day he must be living off quite well over here. I wish I'd meet him again to take him to the police as I am sure he is living here illegally. Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:39:39 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/central-world-is-closed-scam-2.html Just wanted to let people know about our recent experience (end of April). We’ve been to BKK many times and of course know all about the “grand palace is closed now” scam. Well this one seems to have spread to “Central World is closed now”. We were walking to Central World one morning and a guy fell into step beside us and asked if we were English. He then said he was an English teacher and was going to England next week (funny coincidence eh!)…….he asked if we were going shopping and when we said yes, he told us that it was Monks day today and the shops were all closed til after lunch. We just smiled sweetly, said goodbye and kept going. A little way on nearer Central World a lady asked us if we were shopping and also said it was Monks day - she offered to tell us where there were some other shops that were open now. We kept going and of course found that Central World was fully open!!!! Just wanted to let people know to be alert. Lally Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:34:38 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/another-taxi-scam-5.html This is a whole new type of scam but may be one on the rise or one some travellers are already familiar with. When trying to leave the hotel on Sunday 7 June from Thailand, I was surprised when the taxi driver asked for a 50 baht surcharge to go to the airport. They charge this if leaving from the taxi stand when leaving from the airport, not to the airport. I think the taxi asked this because he wanted to charge me a flat fee, but upon getting in I told him 'meter.' Now 50 baht is not much. But it's not the amount, it's the principle of someone trying to rip off unsuspecting tourists as most tourists do not know the ins and outs and can ripped off easily in Bangkok. Lesson, always ask for a meter before even putting your bags in the taxi or moving, if not get another, unless you chose a hotel with no choice because you are remotely located. Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:33:50 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/feed-pigeons-scam-near-grand-palace-2.html Surprised I have not seen this one here. Like many, I of course felt quite stupid after it happened, as I had been living in Bangkok for 4 years when it happened, and wasn't a tourist. So, I was taking some video around outside the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang area as I had never gotten those images for myself before. This scam takes place on Sanam Luang, the big square right near the Grand Palace. How it happened to me: An old lady walked up while I was videoing the pigeons eating seed some tourist had just thrown on the ground that he got from a man and lady. I just wanted to video the throngs of pigeons and while I'm doing that, she sets this bird seed on my camera case. As I was occupied, I didn't notice. I tried to give the baggies back to her but she refused and just wouldn't take it. She had a big smile on her face and kept saying For birds, for birds with no mention of it costing anything. I figured there'd be no harm and I'd pay her 20 baht (we all know that a bit of bird seed isn't going to be worth much more than that, as I'd bought fish food to give to the fish for example in Bangkok parks and only paid 10-20 baht from more honest people). She ends up asking for 200 baht, 100 each for her and her partner. I know I'm getting taken and yet I still pay, angrily (no idea why I paid to be honest, but she was so firm and I was a pushover). As I walk off her partner comes running up shouting in my face saying I didn't pay him, that the money is for her and I have to pay him. I should have told him to stick it where the sun don't shine yet as I'm being a pushover and he was berating me of course, being a pushover, felt a bit scared and just threw some more money at him and ran away. He was really good at shouting in my face and forcing me to give him money, I have to say. Oh, forgot to add that I gave the woman 40 baht right before she asked for money, as I felt it would only be 20 baht and thought I was doing her a favor. Then she said no no, it is 200 baht so I gave her the 200 baht and she never gave that 40 back. Dumb of me, yes. So, after all this I felt incredibly stupid and even more angry. I have heard of this happening to other people so don't let it happen to you. I still feel I should have seen it coming and not gone along but it was just so much easier for me to throw that seed as she absolutely would not take it back. Do the hard thing, don't let them swindle you and if don't mind paying 100-200 baht to feed some birds, by all means go ahead but don't fall for the second member of the team berating you and telling you that you have to pay him, as well. Especially after the lady said the money covers both of them. I was stupid stupid stupid but it is a scam, and can get the unsuspecting tourist who is just having a holiday and probably can fall into it quite easily and perhaps not feel as stupid as me, having known about many scams in Bangkok including the ones outside the Grand Palace where the tuk tuk drivers tell you they'll give you a free ride and the Palace is closed today for holiday. When that happend to me, I just said no thanks, I know it's open and when they kept following me I just told them to go away. That's what I always did in Thailand with potential scammers so I don't know why I acted differently this time, but they certainly got me good. Total scamming losses: 440 baht for woman scammer: 240 man scammer: 200 baht bottle of water afterwards to cool off my body and my anger: 20 baht Lesson learned: PRICELESS Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:25:35 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/modified-meter-taxis-2.html Hi guys, Once i was trying to get a taxi in pratunum back to my hotel near midnight. I tried several taxis but most of them refused to have their meter on so i just ignored them. Suddenly there was one taxi driver who stopped at the OPPOSITE side of the road and waved to me. I was quite surprised as he looked quite friendly and offered to on the meter. The meter started at 35 bhat which was normal. But along the way, it suddenly jumped to 120 bhat and when i alight it was around 125, i asked him why is it so expensive? He said that there is a charge for rides after midnight and i just paid him off without verifying because there is also a midnight charge in my country. When i got off, i asked my other group of friends who took another taxi from the same place when i took the cab how much does it cost them. 45 bhat. I paid an extra 80 bhat for my ignorance. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:44:03 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/foreigners-use-other-entrance-2.html We read the sight to be well prepared for the various scams. This one seemed new, as we came up on Vat Pho from the back as we were walking around. There was some people selling stuff and a few Tuktuks. There was this sign sort of hanging on the side of the wall by the door that said Foreigners use other entrance . My sense were going on that there was a scam here somewhere. I could see a guy standing down on the corner too, I just wasn't sure what it was. Just as we were going to go in a British family was already in the doorway (well Mother and Son). The Thai guy was talking to them about something and then they walked away. I caught up with them and asked them if they were told that it was closed or some other scam. They said they were already in and on the way out and the sign was a scam on the wall, just walk past the guy and there is a booth to pay entrance on the right. Thinking they might have been scammed to we just walked in, there were a few women sitting outside a small booth but it didn't look like they worked there either. We walked around the Vat and then paid the 50 baht per person to see the reclining budda. One of the touts tried to tell me I couldn't go into the palace since I had long hair, which was a new one as far as I could tell. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:43:25 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-in-bangkok/thai-police-stole-my-money.html I’d like to post my story on the Internet to warn other travelers about Thai police in Khao Sarn Road area. Please inform others about my story too. A couple of nights ago while staying in Banglumphu I went to have drink along Khao Sarn Road near the Sawasdee Guesthouse about 9pm. A friend of mine called and we decided to meet up at Burger King. I paid my bill and took the short cut out to the big main road (Rajadamnoen). As soon as I was out on the main road, two policemen on their motorbike stopped me. They asked me where I was going and asked to see my passport, of course I didn’t have it on me. One of them them got out a torch and started going through my front pockets, looking for drugs for sure, then down my trousers etc.. he then took out my wallet and gave it to the other police behind to look through. By this time I was quite nervous and he started searching me again. He stopped, they gave me back my wallet, wished me well and drove off. Rather shaken I walked on to Burger King. I met my friend and ordered just a drink. When I was about to pay I realized that my $50US banknote was gone. I had got it just that afternoon to pay for my Laos visa at the border. I distinctively remember seeing it in the bar previous when I paid my bill. I then remembered the cop who stood behind the cop frisking me. As he stood directly behind the first cop when he was going through my wallet, I couldn’t see clearly what he was doing. He must have taken 2 minutes to search my wallet. I used to have respect for Thai police but now I know they are nothing but thieves in uniform. Welcome to Thailand…. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:55:55 +0100 http://www.bangkokscams.com/scams-at-the-airport/british-couple-fights-bangkok-airport-extortio.html British couple fights Bangkok airport extortionists Times Online A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay 8,000 pounds in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation. Times online reported on Sunday the couple were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year. Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of April 25. They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth 121 pounds from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor's office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them. The online claimed they were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money. They alleged the bribes were paid to an intermediary named Sunil Tony Rathnayaka, a Sri Lankan national in his fifties who works as a volunteer interpreter for Thailand's tourist police Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare, said Ingram last week. We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice. Last week Rathnayaka admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than 7,000 pounds from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called Little Big Man who could withdraw the case against them. In Thailand everyone knows it's like that, he said. They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know? Rathnayaka also agreed that the bail — about 4,000 pounds — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded. In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport. Rathnayaka confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the bail . The police kept the couple's passports. Rathnayaka then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days. During that time, Rathnayaka warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press. However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul. According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:53:37 +0100