The most common scams targeting Australians in Thailand

[namatjira]

The founder of travel deal site holidayers.....haha.....muppet

Has the experience of a 5 year old......how’s he going to survive in Vietnam or China.......going to be a hard old road for this expert.

many people they try the scam on but you have to be especially 

clueless and real stupid to get caught by it....

this world traveler who thought he had seen it all buys gems,

It s just so funny beyond words

[Jeremy50]

All these scams have been around for decades, and are well documented all over the internet, especially on Youtube. You would have to be gullible, stupid, and extremely naive to fall for them. People should be told what airline this muppet works for, so that it can be avoided for obvious safety reasons.

[namatjira]

The dork actually paid over cash...........

i think that requires an IQ or less than 3 digits......

normal people are not so gullible 

 

 

[johncat1]

I  fell victim to the " Grand Palace " scam many years ago BUT  I really enjoyed the boat trip which included a visit to a snake show, and it was probably cheaper than going to the Grand Palace with its high Foreigner entrance fee  anyway

[Media1]

9 minutes ago, Jeremy50 said:

All these scams have been around for decades, and are well documented all over the internet, especially on Youtube. You would have to be gullible, stupid, and extremely naive to fall for them. People should be told what airline this muppet works for, so that it can be avoided for obvious safety reasons.

Yes all easily avoided. My dumb Mrs brought a massage machine. 3800 whopping baht. From a lady walking to shops.

On the Internet there 1500 baht.Buffaloe

Edited October 14, 2017 by Media1

[Litlos]

Same story on the Aussie "news" sites.  It is Saturday so fill in clickbait.   Sounds like he is gullible enough to work for Qantas, but I do not think Qantas pilots work out of Hong Kong.  Is probably really the guy who empties the onboard waste tank and "Pilots" a honey sucker around.

 

Cheers

[jimster]

I'm surprised the scammers even operate near the Grand palace anymore given that at least 90% of all foreign visitors to the Grand Palace are now Chinese (most of them tour groups). Even some of the guards can speak Chinese now! While I haven't visited the Grand Palace for years (and why would I go again, i've been enough times already and it's even more of a tourist trap these days than it was 15-20 years ago) but I did bring some Chinese visitors there not so long ago. I told them I would come to pick them up later; in the end they decided not to go inside - there were too many people and you could take pictures from the inside walls anyway, it's only to go inside the actual complex you have to buy a ticket.

 

Perhaps the scammers can't speak Chinese hence why they target the few westerners who go to the Grand Palace - I used to think I don't know what's worse, being charged extra for being a foreigner to enter the palace or being ripped off by people who claim it's closed...but really, are people so blind as to miss the thousands of Chinese tourists in that area and still believe what they are being told?

[jimster]

58 minutes ago, namatjira said:

The founder of travel deal site holidayers.....haha.....muppet

Has the experience of a 5 year old......how’s he going to survive in Vietnam or China.......going to be a hard old road for this expert.

many people they try the scam on but you have to be especially 

clueless and real stupid to get caught by it....

this world traveler who thought he had seen it all buys gems,

It s just so funny beyond words

I don't see how China is worse than Thailand. Unless you speak Chinese, nobody will talk to you because so few Chinese speak English. The biggest annoyance in China are the teenagers who walk past you smiling, then screech out "hellloooo!!!!" and then proceed to hide in the bushes before you've even got a chance to turn around. Of course, that's hardly a scam though.

 

There are far more tourist scams in Thailand than China, even taking into account the tea scams and all that in Beijing and Shanghai but out of all my years of living and traveling in China people (generally) only come up to you and try a scam on you speaking in Chinese (if you can't understand them that's it) or if you've shown interest in what they're selling.

 

Vietnam and Cambodia are worse than Thailand - in Cambodia the scammers are more pushy and speak far better English than their Thai counterparts hence why it's easier to get suckered there than in Thailand.

[4MyEgo]

Lol....as soon as someone approaches me and starts speaking to me in English, I just look at them and start speaking Greek while I continue walking, if they persist, I say, Greek, Greek and point to my Thai wife and smile saying; ti cunnis, agamisou reh malaka, nabus na gumithis, translated; how are you, go F yourself tossa, go and get farrrked and keep walking, and if they still persist my Thai wife throws in a few Greek swear words smiling, works every time, and they even smile back to us 555 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2017 by 4MyEgo

[Thian]

2 hours ago, namatjira said:

The founder of travel deal site holidayers.....haha.....muppet

Has the experience of a 5 year old......how’s he going to survive in Vietnam or China.......going to be a hard old road for this expert.

many people they try the scam on but you have to be especially 

clueless and real stupid to get caught by it....

this world traveler who thought he had seen it all buys gems,

It s just so funny beyond words

No mate, it was his wife/gf who bought them...don't blame him for that or can we also blame you for what your gf has done in the past?

[Thian]

5 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Lol....as soon as someone approaches me and starts speaking to me in English, I just look at them and start speaking Greek, if they persist, I say, Greek, Greek and smile saying; ti cunnis, agamisou reh malaka, nabus na gumithis, translated; how are you, go F yourself tossa, go and get farrrked and keep walking, works every time, and they even smile back to me 555 

I just ask them in english what kind of scam they're trying. I've been tried loads of times before, if you dress like a tourist and have very white skin you are target.

 

 

[electric]

Walking between the river pier and Grand Palace gate, I was approached by scam guy "monks praying .... Palace closed. Come for tuk-tuk ride somewhere"

 

Unfortunately for him, 3 coach loads of Chinese tourists crossed the road up ahead, and walked straight through the main gate into the Palace 55555555

 

Me, pointing to the Chinese hordes .... "I'm with them"

 

Scam guy .... "no no ... they have special ticket."   5555555

 

[salavan]

5 hours ago, clifric said:

That 'attraction closed' scam has been running outside the Grand Palace for years; they offer a boat trip or tuk tuk tour 'while you wait for it to re-open. 

 

I don't know why the Foreign Offices of various countries don't highlight these scams on their so called travel advice (FCO please note); also the recent advice that smoking is banned on Thailand's beaches

Its not the responsibility of Foreign offices to highlight scams their responsibility is to facilitate the smooth running of large businesses and corporations they are not there to help individual citizens

[off road pat]

Well, this proves that pilot's are not smarter than any other tourist dude !!!

[off road pat]

2 hours ago, Jeremy50 said:

All these scams have been around for decades, and are well documented all over the internet, especially on Youtube. You would have to be gullible, stupid, and extremely naive to fall for them. People should be told what airline this muppet works for, so that it can be avoided for obvious safety reasons.

And every travel book talks about those scams....Guess the Pilot was thinking he was way to smart to be scammed. 

[midas]

5 hours ago, bannork said:

I hope he is not a pilot with Quantas, he doesn‘t sound too bright- to quote his own words - a dingy room- yet he forks out for special offers.

He may very well be a pilot with " Quantas " which sound like some budget carrier. I just hope is not a pilot with QANTAS

[bannork]

7 minutes ago, midas said:

He may very well be a pilot with " Quantas " which sound like some budget carrier. I just hope is not a pilot with QANTAS

555 aha! Another word apart from Qatar where the q does not require a u

[masuk]

6 hours ago, bannork said:

I hope he is not a pilot with Quantas, he doesn‘t sound too bright- to quote his own words - a dingy room- yet he forks out for special offers.

"QUANTAS"  ?>?   A new airline maybe??

[hstew]

4 hours ago, jimster said:

I don't see how China is worse than Thailand. Unless you speak Chinese, nobody will talk to you because so few Chinese speak English. The biggest annoyance in China are the teenagers who walk past you smiling, then screech out "hellloooo!!!!" and then proceed to hide in the bushes before you've even got a chance to turn around. Of course, that's hardly a scam though.

 

There are far more tourist scams in Thailand than China, even taking into account the tea scams and all that in Beijing and Shanghai but out of all my years of living and traveling in China people (generally) only come up to you and try a scam on you speaking in Chinese (if you can't understand them that's it) or if you've shown interest in what they're selling.

 

Vietnam and Cambodia are worse than Thailand - in Cambodia the scammers are more pushy and speak far better English than their Thai counterparts hence why it's easier to get suckered there than in Thailand.

If a local scams or cheats a lo-wai (foreigner) in China, the cops beat the crap out of em'.

[connda]

"AUSSIE pilot Dan Boland thinks he’s savvy about travel scams, but on a recent trip to Thailand, con artists got him good."  

Actually Mr. Boland is about a savvy as a brick.  The first week I was in BKK 10 years ago a was approached by numerous 'friendly, helpful' folk who ultimately always ended by pointing at a tuk tuk.  I 'played' one of these guys posing as a school teacher for about 20 minutes.  At the end of the 20 minutes when I show no signs of taking a tuk tuk to go to see anything, this guy lost it in a rage of profanity.

It doesn't take a lot to see through the scams.  You simply need a degree of skepticism.  Like precious stones. You're better off going to by some cheap glass bling-bling.  So if Mr. Boland got 'taken for a ride' I don't have a lot of sympathy.  Sounds like he was an excellent mark as opposed to a savvy traveler.  

So the attached article is actually good advice for the gullible.  Plus there is a wealth of information on the Internet regarding Thailand scams.
Sorry Mr. Borland, but that shoe of gullibility seems to fit.

 

Edited October 14, 2017 by connda

[wakeupplease]

Scams - Frauds -Theft In Thailand

are you sure it goes on here?

 

And here was I thinking ? WDD

[DrTuner]

Before travelling, put <country name> scams in google. Thailand should return a few million hits in any language.

[Jaggg88]

9 hours ago, canopus1969 said:

thinks he’s savvy about travel scams   

 

Welcome to Thailand, what a Muppet  

Couldn't agree more - what a chump!

[Happyman58]

9 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

It can happen to anyone who is new to the city.

 

One scam that particularly annoyed me, ..happened to some Lao friends of mine.  They were coming back to Thailand from visiting friends in Laos.  On the Thai side, while waiting for a bus, two uniformed cops held them up for money.  They demanded Bt.5,000 for each person.  The Lao folks were legal, but felt threatened by the aggressive money-takers.  The Lao didn't have that much money, so the cops took all the money the Lao had:   About 11,000 baht for 5 people (3 adults, 2 kids).   The cops weren't cops - they had just donned cop uniforms.   A real cop was standing about 10 meters away, but wouldn't budge, when called upon by the victims.  

 

Pure robbery, and sanctioned by the real cop who was standing nearby.

 

 

Welcome to Thailand and its magnificent police force The do nothing keystone cops

 

[StayinThailand2much]

9 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

One scam that particularly annoyed me, ..happened to some Lao friends of mine.  They were coming back to Thailand from visiting friends in Laos.  On the Thai side, while waiting for a bus, two uniformed cops held them up for money.  They demanded Bt.5,000 for each person.  The Lao folks were legal, but felt threatened by the aggressive money-takers.  The Lao didn't have that much money, so the cops took all the money the Lao had:   About 11,000 baht for 5 people (3 adults, 2 kids).   The cops weren't cops - they had just donned cop uniforms.   A real cop was standing about 10 meters away, but wouldn't budge, when called upon by the victims.  

 

Pure robbery, and sanctioned by the real cop who was standing nearby.

I bet there is more to it, or how would the scammers have gotten the cop uniforms in the first place? My guess is, they were 'lent' to them just for that purpose, and no-one would have been able to find the "cops" after...

[StayinThailand2much]

2 hours ago, connda said:

It doesn't take a lot to see through the scams.  You simply need a degree of skepticism.  Like precious stones. You're better off going to by some cheap glass bling-bling.  So if Mr. Boland got 'taken for a ride' I don't have a lot of sympathy.  Sounds like he was an excellent mark as opposed to a savvy traveler.  

 

True. I was approached too, on my first trip to Thailand, and I believed this gentleman (I think, I was actually approached by two people within a short time), of course, that Wat Phra Kaew was closed. Some time after, I also fell for the 'free tuk-tuk' scam, but I kept my wits about and never went on a ride where I didn't want to go, and never bought anything that looked suspicious or too-good-to-be-true. It's always good to follow common sense. 

[pomchop]

I always thought the Wat Phra scam is/was an insult to Buddhism and the King but apparently the powerful ones in Thailand don't agree or could care less about who they insult.....it could be shut down in a few days IF IF the Mr. Bigs were so inclined. 

 

Absolutely amazing that a so called well travelled pilot and owner of a travel website could possibly be so dense as to fall for this 20+ year old scam that ranks as NUMBER ONE scam in Thailand.....has he ever done ANY online research before visiting a foreign country?  Obviously not.

[Chrisdoc]

I don't really see it as a scam except for telling them the Temple was closed. No one forced them into buying the suits or the jewels. Having worked in sales they just assisted them in seeing the value of buying two nice new suits and some valuable jewellery.

Sent from my SM-J120G using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[tryasimight]

5 hours ago, off road pat said:

Well, this proves that pilot's are not smarter than any other tourist dude !!!

I had an overnight stop at Narita  a few years ago. Went to a bar and started talking with some youngish (I guess late 20's) Qantas pilots. I asked them where another place was and one guy said go down the stairs and turn left....while motioning right with his right hand. I asked him if he was a pilot as I sincerely hoped he was not the navigator.

[BTB1977]

Read about this scam years ago. Nothing new.