Unfortunately, I was suckered into this scam in 1991. I couldn't believe how stupid I was. Afterwords, I couldn't believe how freely I parted with what little money I had. Now, I was 19 years old and full of Mekong whiskey, but no excuse for my brainlessness. Anyhow, can someone explain more on how this scam works? I seem to remember he was able to not only tell me my parents names, but my brother and sisters names as well. I don't remeber having to write anything down on paper. I almost felt as if I was being hynotized.

If you see them say you don’t have a work permit and tell them to get in a taxi and go away or you tell the police tell the taxi driver to call the police if he get out of the car and tell the taxi driver to take him to the travel agent and see his ticket to India and take him to the airport the taxi driver would agree if it means that much time he is getting paid. Remember you have more power than he does

With this kind of tricks gurus in India impress wealthy .foreigners in order to get hold of their money. Those foreigners, mostly good educated are dummer than you in 1991. They dont think its a trick, what it is of course, but more a proof of the holiness of their Guru God. So dont feel ashamed about what you did. At least you know its just a trick

I saw these "gurus" last Sunday at Emporium

I just saw this gut down the alley, and it appeared that he was using probabilities to predict my answer, such as favourite number, pick a fruit and colour, which are not difficult to guess.
However he did ask for nearly 7,000 BHT which I refused to pay. He then told me that bad things would happen if I did not pay him. I agreed to return and possibly will but will not be paying this mad fee.

Kartort cap But you must admit its a funny scam to get caught up in when there are so many sights and other more interesting pursuits. its a bit like some one asking you to watch paint dry. any tourist venturing into laneways at the request of a stranger in a strange country is not the sharpest tool in the tool box. is it cup or cap sounds like cup when spoken.

It sounds like Krap depending on north or south then Kap. Yes Clive, without wanting to sound an alarmist I think it is better to stay within view of our people at all times. Times are becoming harder here now with too many nasty incidences taking place. If you look into Thai Visa Forums police are requesting profiles of farangs resident there due to many unsavoury happenings.

Saw them walking on Sukhumvit beginning of april this year, near an Italian restaurant.
They try to stop you be saying: 'This is your lucky day. You want to know why?'.
Of course I ignored them.

A bit like the old gypseys that stopped you to buy their lavendar from them for your "good luck" , refuse and then they wish you all the bad luck in the world lol

nothing to do with probabilities. They have a small lead pencil attached via a small pad on their thumb, which they quickly scribble on the held up paper once you reveal the name, thinking its safe to do so since the paper is in view and the pencil in their pocket or in your hands.

Additionally especially around khao san I have heard of hotels helping provide info for them which they can "reveal" to you later. Its sometimes not at all random that you meet them.

I met one Indian guy in Phuket shopping mall(patong) he was doing the same trick, its your lucky day, doyou want to know why. I actually new him from Pattaya, he used to work in a tailors shop, he told me there was no work so he was doing this.

I always tell them i bet i can guess your family name...then i say Singh!! Always stumps them..

I've encountered this sort of thing in Malaysia as well.

Although this didn't happen to me in Bangkok, it did in San Francisco and right in front of my workplace too. He was Indian and came up to me and said "Excuse me, but you sir have a lucky face." I was like...okay here we go (I read about this scam before going to Bangkok so I knew what was up). I was trying to decide if I should play his game. He had his pen and pencil ready for me. I figure I can stump him by writing my parents name in my native language which I'm sure he would not pronounce correctly given all the tonal shifts. Unfortunately I had too much work and told him "No thanks." Hmmm, seemed like it would of been fun to play his game. Also he had this very deep serious stare...kind of freaky.

Sounds like an opportunity to screw with someone.

I bumped into one of these guys near Patpong last Sept. He wasn't all that good, but made it seem like placing some baht notes onto his unfolded wallet was part of the game. I didn't. He scoffed. I left.

If I see one again, I'll say my favorite color is chartreuse or my family name is supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. Just keep giving him long words or ones that he can't spell.

i also met one of those nepali/indian standing outside a tailor shop, so i asked him why is he doing this and he said for the money. So i asked him what if he was willing to ...smoke me in the changing booth of the shop for the same amount of money...he looked freaked out and ran back into the store : ))

I had one come up to me in Bangkok. As a young female alone, I can't believe that I went into an alley with a strange man. Once, he asked for a large sum of money, I bolted.

hahahahahah amsterdam77, im going to thailand in november with a friend. I cant wait to mess with scammers like that lol.

I was walking back to my hotel in Sukhumvit and was approached by one of the turban wearing gents.

Like clockwork he said "you have a lucky look on your face" I replied, "that's not a lucky look, I'm horny". He walked away.

Why on earth in a foreign country would you entertain talking to anyone that you do not know. ANYBODY who approaches you is out to get something. They either want you as a customer or a soft touch. Ignore them all, nomatter who innocent or innocuous they seem. It is contrary to western nature to ignure a smile and an offered handshake from a tuk-tuk driver but in your own best inmterests simply smile and say "Mai ouw" meaning DONT WANT. Smile and keep walking. Dont stop or hesitate.

This is hilarious! As soon as I read the heading "Khao San Road Indian Sikh Mind Readers" I thought to myself, that's it! I was travelling through Thailand with my wife on our honeymoon, and came across these guys who then took me to a narrow alley, and we sat right in the middle of this alley while asking me to write some info on a piece of paper, just like in the first post. Anyway, after he finished, he asked for a small contribution of Baht. After giving him around 40B, he kept on asking for more, I told him that was enough for the entertainment he provided me. He did give me this small red/black pendant in return though that I kept in my drawer for years thinking it was something "special/mystical"....haha. I think it may have been the years of smoking pot that clouded my judgement with that one. At the end of the day, most people tend to believe that "mind readers" and such are scammers. But sometimes we go to one for the kick of it. I would hardly call this a scam, unless you are gullible enough to hand over a hard amount of cash.

I was approached by an indian guy in sukhumvit. He said " hey you, i know your mothers 1st name". i gave him the death stare, turned and walked away without saying anything. 2hrs later, in a different spot on suk, the same guy approached me with the same line. ( cant believe he didnt remember my face? or did he think he was tough and would test me again?). So this time i went face to face with him, and told him that in some countries it is extremely offensive to speak about ones mother. when i asked him if i would like to speak about his mother, he said "no". i told him he was lucky that i didnt lose my cool, as some others would have, and politely told him to be careful of what he says. this time he looked scared of me. he turned to his friend and they both apologised. i accepted, and told them they need to learn some respect, as i would not do this in their country. they are probably up to their old tricks once again with others, but now when i do see them, they smile and say hello. a little respect, and standing up for yourself goes a long way in any country. i have had similiar incidents all over the world, and im still alive and kicking, without being robbed or beaten up.

Nice one Dave, you told him. By the way, what is your mothers name?

Same thing happened to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Told me I had a lucky face and my life would change significantly the following month. Gave me the "good luck" stone and then asked for my favorite color, flower, and number. Wouldn't you know the crumpled up paper he had given me had all three written down. He then opened up he little folder and said "paper go here, and money go here." Checked for my wallet and found it was there and figured this was some sort of scam....so I said sure I'll give you some cash. I pulled out my wallet and gave him 20 Mexian Peso bill from my recent trip to Mexico and walked away (Good luck getting that exchanged). HAHAHAHA.