A foreigner will rent a motorbike and will sign a contract. He or she will park the bike outside of their hotel overnight and the next day the bike is gone.
They contact the rental company who inform them that they must make a report of the theft at the Police Station. This is then followed by a demand for money to cover the cost of the bike from the rental company.
In the cases we have heard about, tourists have been forced to hand over between 40,000 and 50,000 Baht otherwise the company will pursue the case with the Police.
We are sure that most bike rental companies who operate here in Pattaya are honest and law-abiding and this relates to only a small number of dishonest bike renters. In each case that we have heard about, the bike does not possess any form of insurance and the contract contains a clause that the hirer is liable for all costs in case of damage or theft.
After the case has been cleared, the bike will be mysteriously returned to the rental company and the money paid by the foreign tourist is not returned. To avoid this happening to you, we would like to suggest the following:
Only rent from reputable companies. Ensure that the motorbike is correctly insured to cover damages and theft. Check the contract for small clauses which could leave you liable for all costs relating to damage and theft by third parties. Try and avoid giving rental companies your Pattaya address. Buy a strong padlock and chain. Lock the bike away securely If you feel you have become a victim of such a scam, please contact the Tourist Police on 1155.
Beer Bar Hawkers & Pick Pockets
I was enjoying a beer in a beer bar on Beach Road. There were the usual interruptions every two minutes; watches, DVD's, stun guns, photo-service, roses, wooden craftwork, etc.
Two hawkers were potential thieves; one women with dozens, of red roses, did a rather crafty 'slight of hand trick' by thrusting the flowers into my chest and then attempting to steal my mobile telephone from my breast pocket. She nearly succeeded....so beware.
Secondly; a young child maybe 6 or 7 years of age offered to sell me chewing gum (1 packet) and with the other hand tried to pick-pocket my wallet from my FRONT pocket. Again nearly successful.
So, take care, if I had had more to drink I would have lost wallet and telephone.
Keyboard Loggers at Internet Cafes
I have long mentioned concerns about using internet cafes in Bangkok as many of the computers in these spots are riddled with spyware, keystroke loggers and the like, allowing the person who installed such programs to get access to any accounts you access online – your email accounts, your website accounts and God forbid, your bank accounts!
Accusations have come in about the expensive internet shop in the Nana area, you know the one, opposite Nana Plaza, has software installed that records details which have resulted in transfers being made from their foreign bank accounts. At least two people claim to have only used this particular internet café and then had problems with their bank accounts in Farangland.
Using your own laptop to connect to connections in hotels or free / pay as you go wi-fi connections is better, but still not foolproof. If you are really concerned, or paranoid, the safest way is to use your own laptop to connect to the internet directly, using a dial up connection in your hotel room. You can buy internet packages locally in many computer shops, and internet access is cheap at around 10 baht an hour. Setting up an account is very quick and easy.
Beach Road Surveys
If you have ever walked along Pattaya's Beach Road then you will surely have been stopped by attractive young people carrying clipboards asking you to fill out a 'survey'
They appeal to people's better nature by saying that they will receive 20 Baht commission for each completed survey.
Of course the survey is a sham, and they are actually after contact details so that high pressure salesman can ring your hotel and try and sell you timeshare holiday homes.
Alternatively, there is a thank you entry into a prize draw which you always win and somehow get taken to luxury apartments in Jomtien to claim the prize. Guess what, there are high pressure salesman waiting there to greet you.
If you don't want the attentions of the Beach Road youngsters, the merest shooing away gesture is sufficient. If you feel like a chat with a cutie, at least give them a false address, otherwise you will only have to take the hotel phone off the hook.
I fell for this in October last year, answered the questions because I felt sorry for the cutie who explained that she was on commission and smiled ever so nicely - she told me I had won a prize and must go with her to Jomtien to claim the prize - I went along with it and ended up talking with a guy from Amsterdam who was trying to sell timeshare holidays anywhere in the world for an immediate payment of £200.
I was introduced to the owner of the 'Company' a guy who originates from Oldham in Lancashire - went to Pattaya 9 years ago and didn't go home.
Asked him for contract to inspect the small print and was told You can see the contract after you pay the £200
Ever so politely declined the offer, thanked them for the free coffee, lunch and taxi back to Soi 7.
Saw the girl the next day who thanked me because she got her commission - no problem as long as you don't get sucked in and pay for the timeshare thing.
The prize was a two week holiday in the back of beyond - ended up giving that to the taxi driver!
McShortChange & Fries Please
I thought you might include this scam on your website. The first time this happened I thought it was a "one off" , but the same scam was attempted on me yesterday for the second time.
I visited McDonalds in the Royal Garden Plaza on Beach Road. I received my food and offered a 1000 Bt note as I wanted some change. The serving girl handed me 80 Bt as change and just stood there. When I didn't walk away without the remaining 800Bt, after some seconds, she handed over the cash. I asked why she had only given some of the change and she clamed she was "sort cash". So why give me some change and not all?
She, as on the first time this happened, had written the name on her badge in Thai. I asked for her name (very politely) and was given the full formal name of my little thief in very strong "Issan" which I could not understand even though I can understand a lot of Thai.
I expect such scams now as a matter of course, but not in a big company like McDonalds, and it would seem, not a "one off" but involving other staff. I had a word with the manager who seemed to think it was not possible to get cash out of the till without being seen so staff would not benefit from the theft. It doesn't take a mastermind to work out that a quick call to a friend and the issuing of extra change with a small order by that friend, would get the money out of the till and into my little thief's hands! Still...She had a lovely smile.
Lost in the Post Before it Leaves the Post Office
This article triggered a few correlations to my own experiences. I suffered losses from a similar deferred stamping technique at the postal desk upstairs in the South Pattaya's Tesco Lotus. I have also had some pretty hard glares when objecting to this policy at Jomtien Post Office in Soi 5. I have always had immediate stamps applied in Pattaya's Post Office (in the aptly named Beach Road: Soi Post Office).
Wherever you go insist on immediate stamps.
When I worked near Bangkok a few years ago, all my outgoing mail reached its destination. I’ve been back in Thailand for 18 months now and my experiences have been very disappointingly different. As the likelihood of mail reaching its overseas destination depends on the post office you use, I can only assume that pilfering is tolerated in some post offices but not in others.
Recently I sent three letters, all containing important material, to addresses in the UK from the post office in the domestic terminal at Bangkok airport. The bloke there just weighed the letters and wrote the amount on each one and, of course, took my money: no sign of any stamps. No doubt he waited until I was out of sight before confining my letters to the waste paper basket, probably tearing them open first, to see if they contained cash. Please warn your readers about this practice and about the post office in question. Domestic terminal, departures, at Bangkok Airport.
Beauty Sleep
Thai police are warning tourists of a new scam.
Members of a Thai ladyboy gang have confessed to hiding strong sedatives in their mouths and spitting them down the throats of victims during deep kissing. Then they rob the drugged tourists.
The confession came from three attractive ladyboys arrested in Bangkok last week. Police say they'd robbed a Bangladeshi businessman of more than $7,300 in cash and valuables.
Police say the victim told investigators he met the transvestites in a bar and invited them all back to his apartment.
After kissing one, he said he felt dizzy and passed out. When he woke up, his cash, watch, mobile phone and notebook computer were gone.
A police lieutenant colonel has this warning for tourists: Don't rush to kiss a stranger on the mouth or you will end up in a deep sleep.
Pickpockets on Baht Buses
A warning to travellers on Baht Buses of the potential for wallet theft of foreigners sitting up close and personal with locals taking the same mode of public transport.
The ploy works something like this. A person of indeterminate gender, a short plump girl in her twenties, a child aged around 10 and her mother, aged in her thirties will either board or already be riding a baht bus.
They might sound like the ensemble line-up of a bad movie, but the trick is simple. The mother makes sure she sits as close to the intended victim as possible, as does the katoey. The child then begins playfully bouncing around the victim’s legs and knees while the plump girl engages the person in conversation. Distracted by the chattering girl and leery of the katoey, the victim may not be aware his pocket is being well and truly picked.
Two of the three intended victims who are known to me had their pockets picked but were able to recover their wallets before the gang had time to make any escape. In the first instance the katoey legged it, was chased by the victim and ran into the waiting arms of undercover police. In the second case the victim prevented any of the gang exiting the baht bus and found his wallet on the seat.
The driver then took off before police could be summoned. The question is whether the driver of the baht bus is also in on the act. The only way to determine this, of course, is for passengers to take careful note of the number of the baht bus they are on at any time. I do this routinely, in case there are problems later.
Beware of the Thai Gem Scam
Beware of the Thai Gem Scam
How it is done: This is really a by-the-numbers scam. Most people have the exact same experience. It usually goes something like this: 1. You are riding in a tuk-tuk 2. The driver tells you that wherever you are going is closed for some reason. 3. The driver tells you he is specially trained to be helpful to tourists. 4. You are told the government has launched a promotion to sell gems to tourists. 5. In the course of riding around with the "friendly" tuk-tuk driver, you "accidentally" meet a well-dressed young man or an older, distinguished man. 6. The younger man claims he is a student. The older will claim he works for the government and shows you his government ID. (Thai IDs mean nothing. They are readily available for a small fee to anyone.) 7. The person you meet independently confirms the story the tuk-tuk driver told. (This is a nice touch.) 8. Eventually you ask to be taken to the "government" jewelry house and are told that you can make 100-150% profit by reselling the gems back home. It seems okay since the seller writes something like "if everything is not ok we will offer a full refund" and puts an official looking stamp on it. 9. You've now been cheated by one of the oldest and most openly practiced scams in Thailand.
The Scam
One of the most pervasive scams in Thailand is the Thai gem scam. Typically, a tourist meets a friendly Thai at a tourist attraction who eventually offers to take them to a "government" gem stone shop where the tourist is told about how they can sell Thai "blue sapphires" or other gems back home and make a 100% profit. It is all lies, of course, and the tourist ends up with a pocket full of overpriced gems. Like Thais themselves, the scam is low-key and the touts are friendly rather than pushy. A rule of thumb for Thais is that "real" Thais do not just walk up to strangers and strike up a friendly conversation. Thais typically "speak when spoken to." If you are approached at a tourist attraction by a friendly fellow who just walks up and starts speaking to you, watch out! Too many otherwise wonderful vacations have been ruined by this scam, so watch out. 2Bangkok has followed this scam online for nearly 5 five years and make no mistake--the authorities are doing nothing to stop it. No official ever dares mention the "protected" gold shops that actually run the scams. One of the tuk tuk drivers who takes victims to be scammed operates in front of the Tourist Information Centre and the local Police Station on Khao Sarn Road. The funny thing is that over the years the reports are from the same locations--only the names of the stores change. Officials claim that just changing the name of the shop prevents them from doing anything to stop the scam.
