Kerryd

15 minutes ago, 2baht said:

 

The Chinese tourist lived in a condo building? The plot thickens!

Well, I'm a Canadian "tourist" living in a house - as far as the Thai police are concerned. Unless you are a citizen or have Permanent Residence, you are considered a "tourist". Even if you have a wife, children, house, 2 cars, 2 motorcycles, 3 cats, 2 dogs and 12 cows, you are still classed as a "tourist".

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

Such a small target market .. Brits in TH with expiring passports once every 10 years .. .. why even bother.

It's probably not just Brits being targeted. The scammers are no doubt running the same scam on others, like those who can't get into Thailand (or the UK) normally.
And if they did investigate it, you'd probably find that it's some Nigerians in Bangkok running the scam.

Many years ago I had a scammer try to con me into thinking I'd won a huge Hungarian "cellphone" lottery and, naturally, I need to pay the transfer and "insurance" fees in order to collect.
I strung him along for awhile and figured out he was a Nigerian. We had a Nigerian working in our Admin office, which is how the scammer knew I was in Afghanistan even though I'd been telling him I was in Pattaya. He kept telling me to let him know when I arrived in Thailand and he'd meet me at the airport to "collect the fees". 
Yeah right.
I told him to give me the address of his office in Bangkok and I'd drive up from Pattaya - but he knew I wasn't in country.

He then tried to get me to send the money by Western Express. I was able to find out which W.E. outlet he was planning on using and then I sent him a final email letting him know that I knew he was a scammer and that I'd alerted the Thai Police and forwarded his emails, complete with the headers that they could use to track his IP, as well as notifying the FBI.

I said the FBI because when I was trying to track this guy down, I found he was also running a "Green Card" scam where people were being offered American "green cards" that would allow them to move to the US and bring as many family members as they wanted with them.

I ended the email by telling him to expect the police to be arriving soon and then said "Wait, was that a knock on your door ? Have they arrived already ?"

I had a chuckle as I imagined him diving out the window every time he heard a knock on a door for days afterwards. Needless to say, not only did he not reply but suddenly our Nigerian worker decided he didn't like the large salary he was earning and went home.

I suspect he had been feeding the names of other employees (we had Indians, Nepalese, Filipinos, Canadians, Brits and Americans working in Afghanistan at the time) to the same scammer (or groups of them) and maybe was worried he'd get burned if his friend did get arrested.

READ the original story (linked in the OP).

It says the accident happened in BANGKOK. Period.
He left "in the middle of the night" to get food.

It says the insurers believe he was riding without a helmet. Here's a clue - if this is true to begin with - the insurers would have the medical reports from the hospital which would be viewed by qualified people (i.e. doctors) working for the insurers. It wouldn't be hard for them to see what the injuries were and deduce how they happened. 
There could be a police report as well, which, for some reason, the RTP didn't flag and post on this site immediately after the accident. Funny that eh ?

It says he has had TWO operations and that IF the second one was unsuccessful and he had to travel home, it would cost £168,000.

What part of "IF" is so hard to understand ? 

The whole story reeks from the beginning. Here's why.

Note. The story is in the Mirror. For starters, the Mirror pays people for their "horror vacation" stories and the more horror the better. They then "fluff" the stories to gain more sympathy.

Note. The accident happened "in February" and "in Bangkok". 
NO details. Why ? Because details can be checked and verified. Was he in a hotel (CCTV cameras). Rented scooter ? How long was he in Thailand for ?

Note: They don't say WHO the "insurers" are or what kind of insurance he had. Are they trying to use his NHS coverage ? Did he have travel insurance ? Or local motorcycle (mandatory gov't) insurance ?
Again, can't have details that can be checked.

Note. Like most of these types of stories, it came out AFTER they had set up a GoFundMe.
Note: The "family" apparently has all flown here to be with him.
So the money they are looking for is to pay for his operations, their holiday and "maybe" to fly him home. Assuming there is even a "he" to begin with.

I've helped debunk a dozen fake GoFundMe scams over the last couple of years and they all have certain things in common. Like complete lack of details to prevent people from checking them. Like no hotel (or hospital) name, no exact dates, no exact location.

Remember the Brit couple that claimed they came to Thailand for their anniversary and were "beaten and robbed at gunpoint" on their first night here ? They too had a GoFundMe set up almost immediately but when the police saw the CCTV film from a hotel far away from where the couple were staying, showing the man trying to break into hotel  rooms and jumping off a 1st floor balcony to escape detection, they went to the hospital and found the couple had already snuck out and flew to Dubai. (Without paying the hospital bill of course.)

Then there was the Canadian "model" who claimed a friend of hers had been in a motorcycle accident "in Phuket" and she need to raise funds to go there and bring her home. No details on the hospital, or the accident, or even her friend's name.
The local newspaper had no report of a foreign woman in an accident. I tried telling the woman behind the GoFundMe that I was in Phuket and would go check on the fellow Canadian at the hospital. No response of course.

And then the friend posted a bunch of photos on her Facebook. Of the beach. And the pool. And the hotel. Not one of her friend.

The two Irish guys who claimed they'd been drugged and raped in Thailand and that their insurance company had refused to pay for AIDS tests. They got home, made up the rape story, sold it to the Mirror then used the "rape" claim to get free AIDs testing.
Turns out they'd been drinking and partying in Thailand and having "risky" sex with various gay men. They went to a local hospital to get AIDS testing and tried to use their UK (NHS) insurance, which was refused.

The three Australian women who spend a couple weeks at a hotel, then snuck out on their last day and flew out without paying their bill. When they were back in Oz they sold their story (sensing a trend here ?) and claimed that one of the women had been raped in her room and that is why they decided to sneak out and leave without paying their bill.

However, hotel security cameras showed one woman bringing two men back to her room (willingly) and a couple hours later they left and she stood at the door waving good-bye to them. A couple hours later the three of them were seen sneaking out of the hotel.
They made up the story so they wouldn't have to pay their hotel bill when their vacation was over.
(Funny how they told the story to the Mirror but never went to the police. Same as the Irish guys.)

Then there was the Canadian guy arrested in Bangkok. His friends set up a GoFundMe and then found a gullible reporter and told her that their friend had flown to Thailand and a group of men "dressed like police" had kidnapped him, took him to a "basement" and were holding him for ransom. They claimed that when the kidnappers found out he was Canadian they supposedly raised the ransom amount.

Turns out, the guy had arrived in Bangkok and three days (!!!) later was arrested for trying to sell drugs to an undercover cop ! He was busted in an area known to be a hot spot for "African" drug dealers. (He was "black" as well.)

The "men dressed as police" were actually police and they took him to their station and told him how much his BAIL would be (in US dollars). 
I'm guessing when they found out he was Canadian they amended the amount due to the exchange rate so that it still came out to ($5,000) US.

I explained that to the reporter (on her Twitter account) but being stupid she wouldn't accept it. Until I found the news about what had really happened.
She says she tried to contact his "friends" that had contacted her but they wouldn't return her calls.
Shocker.
(Can't figure out why a guy would fly from Canada to Thailand to sell drugs, unless he was one of those "I'm a Canadian just until I get the magic get out of jail free passport and then I'll go back to being a criminal drug pusher" types.)

Remember the American Youtube "Fitness Star" that died (motorcycle accident ?) in Thailand and his family wanted some outrageous amount ($50,000 US or more) to fly over here and collect the body and fly it home. All first class of course. And all without having to use any of their own money of course.

Whenever you see a tear jerker story full of generalities, usually with a GoFundMe already set up, be wary. GoFundMe is the platform of choice for the amateur scammer. (The pros do BitCoin scams.)

Lol - you just have to read this thread to realize that most of the people whining are not tourists but people trying to scam the system by staying for years without having the proper visa.

Reminds me of all those barstool geniuses who whine every time the bars are closed for a day because of an election or Buddhist holiday and they run to Thail Visa to announce that this (the lastest of the many closures that happen every, single year) will be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" of tourism and then predict all manner of doom and gloom, claiming Euro tourists will flock to other locations where the bars apparently stay open 24/7, 365 days a year.

(Makes you wonder why those people don't move there if it's so great, doesn't it ?)

Thailand was doing just fine before covid when the arrival stamp was only 30 days. It will not affect (real) tourists at all as most of those arriving without a Visa will already know how long they can stay when they bought their plane tickets.

And the vast majority of those (real) tourists will stay from 10-14 days and then go home. What was the (pre-covid) stat for Chinese tourists ? 5-8 day stays or something ? 
And people from India have to get a Visa on Arrival which is back to 15 days max now as well. (According to the Immigration Bureau and Ministry of Foreign Affairs websites as of a minute ago.)

So I don't think this is going to adversely affect tourism in Thailand at all. 

Might make some faux tourists have to scramble and go back to whatever they were doing prior to this time last year.

1 hour ago, jabis said:

In the actual article it was hinted that they may share a case

No, they say she was arrested "in a similar case" as in, she too didn't have any documents and they don't know how she entered Thailand either.

One possible explanation could be that they sold their passports to extend their stay and then tried to fly out of the country, not realizing that they'd be stopped at Immigration.

Most people claim their passport was "stolen" and get emergency travel docs from their embassy before trying to leave the country.

As for this guy, the "yakuza" tats should be a hint. Why you would go to an airport dressed like that is beyond me.

I recall travelling to Thailand one year on Japan Airlines and had to sit next to a guy that had been refused entry to the US. He'd tried to be sneaky by flying from Australia to Japan, changing airlines, flying to Canada, changing airlines again and then trying to fly into the US.

He didn't realize that there is a US Customs and Immigration checkpoint inside the Vancouver airport. As he was walking down the hall towards the (USA) departure gates, he took off his jacket and all his biker tats were visible.

It seems they took one look at him and then hauled him off to the side for questioning. Turns out he didn't have a Visa to enter the US. He tried to claim that his girlfriend in Seattle had it and was meeting him at the airport. (Lol - like they were going to believe that line of bull.)

Because he was refused entry to the US and still in the Departure area, he was held in custody until he could be flown back to his last airport of departure, which was Japan. No idea what happened to him after that. (Didn't ask, didn't care.)
 

No more coup - unless we lose the election.
(Or if Thaksin or one of his relatives somehow bribes their way into power. Again.)

Fortuantely, I haven't noticed a drastic increase in the number of double-decker tour buses blocking main roads again.
Yet.

(I think a lot of them are still parked in various fields as the owners have been living in them and can't afford to fix and clean them.)

Lots of traffic though. I miss the "covid days" when the streets and intersections had a quarter of the traffic they do now.

And many of the tourists are "looky-lou's". Walkers and gawkers. Hordes of people meandering along the streets giggling and taking photos and buying - nothing.
Take a gander at the bars and restaurants (and malls) around the city and you'll notice that they are population almost exclusively by one demographic.

Plenty of others on the streets, but not spending money in the businesses along those streets.

Just like it was before.

Thailand Statue of Limitations (Prescriptions):
"Twenty years in case of offences punishable with death, imprisonment for life or imprisonment of twenty years;"

As his offenses took place in the 70s, it's unlikely that Thailand will try to extradite him. And even if they did, France would probably deny the extradition due to his age and health and the fact he'd face the death penalty - even though it's highly unlikely they'd ever carry out the sentence. Death penalty sentences for foreigners are usually commuted to life sentences either at trial or upon the next "royal pardon".

 

It's not just Pit Bulls.

Many soi dogs will act very aggressively as well, especially when in a pack.

When I go on my morning walk around the neighbourhood, I've encountered viscious dogs that came at me simply because I was walking down "their" street.
There is one soi I walk down that has 3 different groups (4 now) of dogs along the way. Earlier this year as I was walking along, the "alpha" of one pack started tailing me and trying to bite my Achilles tendon (the back side of your ankle - a favoured tactic of canine species as it is meant to cripple the victim, making it easier for the pack to take down).
His tail went between his legs in a hurry when I turned and launched a kick at his head. His pack mates were all barking and he was still snarling and I had to chase him into a grassy field before he finally gave up. The rest of the pack slunk off in different directions.

A couple days later I walked down the same road and didn't see any of that pack around. I'm guessing someone "took care" of them.

A couple months ago I was walking along a soi past a condo parking area. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, looked back just in time to see a soi dog trying to bite me (again going for the Achilles tendon).
It caught a piece of my sweat pants and let go the instant I stopped and turned towards it. Chased it into the condo car park until it crawled under a car.

A couple weeks later, as I was approaching the same spot, I saw the same dog charge at at Thai guy who was entering the parking area. As I got closer it came at me instead.
My timing was off though. I must have tried 4 times to kick it in the head and missed by "that much" each time and once again I had to chase it until it slunk under a car to hide.

Pretty sure if I nailed the mutt it would end up in the news as "foreign guy stomps poor soi dog to death for no reason" though.

People think they are earning merit by dumping left over food on the side of the sois for the dogs. All they are doing is increasing the population of them.

I can only imagine what might happen if those dogs went after someone who was scared of them and less able to defend themselves.

Look at how poorly literally everything is maintained here. Looks great when it's new, and then not a baht put into maintenance after that until it's completely fallen apart.
And then it's a series of shoddy makeshift repairs designed to do just enough to keep it running for the least amount of cost.

Look at the roads and sidewalks. The ongoing saga that is Beach Road every rainy season. All those "improvements to remove cables". (Have they actually removed any ?)

I see large stacks of (8"/20cm) water pipes stacked alongside the railway bypass road so I'm guessing they'll be digging that up again in a project that should take a couple weeks but will still be ongoing 2 years later.

And remember the public bus system that was supposed to be the answer to everything ? How's that working out ? I still chuckle every time I ride over a painted "bus stop" on the road.

When the baht bus mafia started blocking the buses and parking in the bus stops, the authorities should have started arresting them and taking their trucks off the road. Instead they caved in and took the buses off the road instead.

Can't see anyone seriously thinking a ludicrious cable car in the sky system would even get past the proposal stage. 

Nevermind what condition those "cars" would be in within weeks of going into operation. Unless they were being cleaned 8 times a day (555555555) they'd be full of used condoms, dirty needles, cigarette butts and empty food packages in no time.

And stuck full of people everytime the power goes out during a storm.

Yeah, that will really help Pattaya's image !

Imagine the uproar and howls of protest if something like this happened to a Thai national in (insert your home country here) !

In some countries (like Canada) - within days the gov't would be profusely apologizing and trying to make things right. There'd be zero talk of deportation and certainly nothing about black-listing.

Sheesh, he/she/it would probably even be able to get a lawyer to fight the gov't and the gov't would pay for it !

We've had major criminals fight deportation orders for a decade. We've had illegal immigrants and fake asylum seekers living in 4 star hotels and suing the gov't to avoid being sent home - all paid for by the taxpayers.

Some years ago (over 20 years now) it was noted in the (Canadian) news that they thought (they couldn't come up with an accurate number) that there were over 50,000 "illegal immigrants" in the country facing deportation orders - but they had no clue where they were !

Apparently their "plan" was to simply wait and hope that some of them got arrested for some minor infraction or got into an accident or something.

I think they are scared to go after them because they know what the "left" and all the bleeding hearts will do if they were to start cracking down on them.