Exactly WHO has ripped you off,who has tried to borrow money?

[TC17]

GeorgeGeorgia, thank you for sharing this insight.  I think this occurs on many topics here.  Someone has a bad experience or "has heard" of a bad experience and when repeated over and over, we begin to believe this is a common reality.  When things are going great, people tend not to talk about it, so we don't get influenced in that positive direction.  I am not sure what we can do about this other than be aware.  Thanks for articulating what I had suspected for a long time.  P.S.  If someone askes you for money, always think of it as a gift.  If you get it back, it is a positive surprise.  If not, you got what you expected.  

[samsensam]

 

central world bangkok, an indian gentleman approached me and asked me for directions to the mc donalds, i told him, but he didnt go here... he tried to shake my hand and engage me in small talk. i refused to shake his hand, he just oozed scam and suddenly another guy appeared, so i told them i was going to tell security they were scammers. you should have seen the disappear...

[brokenbone]

4 hours ago, TC17 said:

P.S.  If someone askes you for money, always think of it as a gift.  If you get it back, it is a positive surprise.  If not, you got what you expected. 

can you specify is the request is for gift or if the request is for a loan ?

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, jimmybcool said:

I am personally aware of many of my friends ripped off by a fellow "friend".  For very real money.  I am also very aware of people I don't know being ripped off by various scams in Pattaya over the years.  

 

Doesn't mean I won't stop and help a stranger out with directions or local knowledge advice.  I'm pretty sure I can recognize when the scam is started.  Oh and yes, I personally have been approached by farangs that just need taxi money etc due to unforeseen events or something to eat or whatever.  They are minor scams.  

 

Plus the local scams like the indian swami telling me "I am a lucky man".  

 

The warnings are legit.  The scams occur.

 

 

Comes back to the old saw -"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

[Don Mega]

Yeah I avoid being scammed or ripped off by saying NO when asked for money.........sillly concept huh !!

[bkk6060]

Had a guy in his 70's approach me at a coffee shop in Chiang mai last year.

Had a conversation and from there would meet once or twice a week for lunch or coffee.

He always complained about having no money, so I thought something may be coming.

After a few months for the first time he bought me lunch.  Then, he proceeded to ask me if I would loan him 800,000 b as he had no money to get his extension.  He added if I did loan him the money I could have sex with his wife anytime I wanted.  Of course I told him no way, left and never saw him again although he did try to contact me for a few weeks and I just ignored him.

[ChipButty]

5 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Had a guy in his 70's approach me at a coffee shop in Chiang mai last year.

Had a conversation and from there would meet once or twice a week for lunch or coffee.

He always complained about having no money, so I thought something may be coming.

After a few months for the first time he bought me lunch.  Then, he proceeded to ask me if I would loan him 800,000 b as he had no money to get his extension.  He added if I did loan him the money I could have sex with his wife anytime I wanted.  Of course I told him no way, left and never saw him again although he did try to contact me for a few weeks and I just ignored him.

What was his wife like?

[UbonThani]

10 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Are these questions for research,or are you just been nosey ,

you also asked another personal question,"do you acknowledge Farangs" 

While its nice they are not Covid 19 questions,why do you need to know ?

regards worgeordie

He didnt asked for yr pin number

 

i just tell beggars i have no money

[UbonThani]

Just now, ChipButty said:

What was his wife like?

Yes should have payed a visit

[ChipButty]

Rawai in Phuket used to be full of them it has made me stay away from the place where they seem to congregate and I only carry enough money for my beers

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, UbonThani said:

Yes should have payed a visit

See what she has to say about it

[UbonThani]

2 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

See what she has to say about it

yep or try before you buy

2000 baht deposit for 2 test runs

[UncleMhee]

17 minutes ago, UbonThani said:

19 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

See what she has to say about it

yep or try before you buy

2000 baht deposit for 2 test runs

Seriously..... test runs should be free for consideration of extension money. Then maybe we talk.....

[worgeordie]

37 minutes ago, UbonThani said:

He didnt asked for yr pin number

 

i just tell beggars i have no money

Maybe that will be his next question????

regards Worgeordie

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, TC17 said:

GeorgeGeorgia, thank you for sharing this insight.  I think this occurs on many topics here.  Someone has a bad experience or "has heard" of a bad experience and when repeated over and over, we begin to believe this is a common reality.  When things are going great, people tend not to talk about it, so we don't get influenced in that positive direction.  I am not sure what we can do about this other than be aware.  Thanks for articulating what I had suspected for a long time.  P.S.  If someone askes you for money, always think of it as a gift.  If you get it back, it is a positive surprise.  If not, you got what you expected.  

I simply rely on my intuition.  If someone be it a thai or a farang, approaches me and I don't have a good feeling about it I just walk away.

I have only been conned twice (for small money) in my life, and that was when going against my intuition and accepting their 'help'.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 5/12/2020 at 1:53 AM, georgegeorgia said:

has a farang stranger ever asked you to lend money...tried to scam you...rip you off ….really?...…or is it just what you read,hear so you start believing it ?

Had a conversation with a farang back when the World Trade Center in Bkk was still called that. He was very interesting, but sort of blew it by telling me he was the reincarnation of the Dali Llama before asking me for money. All he got out of me was a cup of coffee.

 

Worst scam I ever had was when a woman got a house out of me by pretending to love me ( western woman and not in LOS ), and second worst was a "friend" of 30 years that scammed me for a years income ( also not in LOS ).

[Dazinoz]

Only ever lent money to 1 farang, a fellow Aussie. He did pay it back after a few requests to do so. I found out later he owed quite a few people in Chiang Mai money both farang and Thai. They won't be getting it back because he has now passed on.

 

I have never lent a Thai money. I have given money to some who requested a loan but NEVER get it back. I know....stupid me.

[Antonymous]

There seem to be two main categories of borrowers in my personal experience. There are those who have run out of money and luck and don't have a pot to <deleted> in and then there are others who are asset rich but penny poor (for example need a bridging loan to keep afloat while trying to sell something of real value).

 

I have lent money to both types but with very different expectations. The former I didn't expect to pay me back, but occasionally I've been surprised when they did. The latter I always expected to pay me back and they always have done, eventually. In both cases I have only given money to people I know well and like and trust. Never to strangers (not counting charity donations).

 

I would always lend money to a genuine good friend in need, if I could spare the cash they wanted.

 

Being scammed by people is a different matter altogether. When you 'invest' in a business related scheme or a company or whatever with the expectation of making a profit, you do so at your own risk and it is not the same as lending money. Have I been scammed? Oh yeah! Hateful, but I have only myself (and greed) to blame. Two big scams that I fell for were in the UK and USA. Never in Thailand.

[kingstonkid]

Yes I was approached by a guy that started out as let's have coffee and a couple of visits later he was telling me about this great investment in Africa.  Told him I had to think about it and went to the Cdn Embassy RCMP and gave them his info as well as when I was supposed to meet him.

 

Be it is Canada or anywhere in the world I do not trust people that I do not fully know PERIOD.

 

In Thailand there are so many get rich schemes that I just stay away.

[Dazinoz]

2 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

Yes I was approached by a guy that started out as let's have coffee and a couple of visits later he was telling me about this great investment in Africa.  Told him I had to think about it and went to the Cdn Embassy RCMP and gave them his info as well as when I was supposed to meet him.

 

Be it is Canada or anywhere in the world I do not trust people that I do not fully know PERIOD.

 

In Thailand there are so many get rich schemes that I just stay away.

Wish I had have stayed away from a Vacation Club in Patong Beach.

[phantomfiddler]

One interesting thing I have found, and that is to never trust a Farang whose used name bears absolutely no relation to anything printed in his passport. Such people are not to be trusted, and I,m not talking about names just used on sites like these, I,m talking about people for instance who say their name is Ben when in fact in their passport it is Michael, and no mention of any Ben or Benjamin. I also tell people who ask, that a Thai may very well nickel and dime you to death, ie charge 50 Bht for a 20 Bht fare, but it will be a Farang who is after your life savings ????

[Tich]

Who in their right mind would lend money to stranger

[Antonymous]

29 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

One interesting thing I have found, and that is to never trust a Farang whose used name bears absolutely no relation to anything printed in his passport. Such people are not to be trusted, and I,m not talking about names just used on sites like these, I,m talking about people for instance who say their name is Ben when in fact in their passport it is Michael, and no mention of any Ben or Benjamin. I also tell people who ask, that a Thai may very well nickel and dime you to death, ie charge 50 Bht for a 20 Bht fare, but it will be a Farang who is after your life savings ????

 

Oops! I'd be guilty as charged there then. Better not lend any money to me.

 

In days long gone by when I'd dally in the go go bars in Chiang Mai, or visit Sodom On Sea for a dirty weekend, I never used my real name and because it was important to maintain my false identity for the girls I'd use the same name with any farangs that I may have (rarely) chatted to on those occasions. These were the glorious days before everyone carried their electronic ID around with them (smartphones) and posted their face all over social media.

 

Very handy too. On several occasions I've been spotted and had my (false) name called out from across a street by some senseless strumpet when walking innocently along with my other half. "Who's she shouting at?" "No idea, must be that bloke behind us."

 

[khunjeff]

Over the years I've been approached at least half a dozen times on the street by farangs who start out by saying hello, or asking if I speak English, or asking for directions, and then immediately segue into "I lost my wallet and..." - at which point I say "sorry, no" and walk away (many of them then become abusive and start shouting curses as I leave).

 

A few of these guys (they're all men) clearly made a regular business of it, since I would spot the same person on the same block multiple times over a period of months.

 

And yes, I've been hit by the Indian "you have a lucky face" thing a number of times - most recently just before the virus crisis - but I always turn and walk away as soon as those words are spoken.

[UbonThani]

26 minutes ago, Tich said:

Who in their right mind would lend money to stranger

 

it doesnt make sense but some people r weak

[KarenBravo]

Never lend money to a man with wife and children. If it comes to a choice of paying you back your money or, spending it on his family, you will come in a distant second.

[Bigz]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:18 PM, wobblyjohn said:

A Hungarian who was the boyfriend of the wifes friend asked me to lend him small amounts and always paid it back

After a few years their kid got sick and I lent them enough to pay the hospital and never got that back next thing he's done done a runner with my money and left his girlfriend she promised to pay it back but never did

 

Where did this happen? I know I Hungarian in Thailand whom I could imagine doing this sort of <deleted>. I am Hungarian too and I was very happy at first to see a fellow countryman here in until I found out how he is milking his mum from back home and his girlfriends over here. He also tried to convince me to invest 100k baht into his loss making restaurant...no thanks...

[Bigz]

3 tried so far. 

1. A random German guy at Suvarnabhumi airport asking 200 baht for a bus ticket to Pattaya. I gave him since it is a really small amount and he said he would be on the next bus to Pattaya(the same I had a ticket for)..guess what..he wasn't on the bus ????

2. A random Serbian guy at Suvarnabhumi airport with some sob story that he's trying to get a ticket home and only needs 4000bahts more. Yeah 'koff...

3. A fellow Hungarian tried to fleece me to invest 100k baht into his loss making restaurant..he already got 100k from his previous Thai gf and an other 30k from the current one...yeah 'koff

[1FinickyOne]

Not strangers but have lent money to people I know - farang maybe 50% pay me back... even the ones who pay it often ends w/bad feelings... 

 

Thai is mostly family and they pay me back.. even the ones not family pay me back...

 

I think with the farang they usually decide they can find better things to do with the $ then give it back to me... 

[Bigz]

3 hours ago, Antonymous said:

There seem to be two main categories of borrowers in my personal experience. There are those who have run out of money and luck and don't have a pot to <deleted> in and then there are others who are asset rich but penny poor (for example need a bridging loan to keep afloat while trying to sell something of real value).

 

I have lent money to both types but with very different expectations. The former I didn't expect to pay me back, but occasionally I've been surprised when they did. The latter I always expected to pay me back and they always have done, eventually. In both cases I have only given money to people I know well and like and trust. Never to strangers (not counting charity donations).

 

I would always lend money to a genuine good friend in need, if I could spare the cash they wanted.

 

Being scammed by people is a different matter altogether. When you 'invest' in a business related scheme or a company or whatever with the expectation of making a profit, you do so at your own risk and it is not the same as lending money. Have I been scammed? Oh yeah! Hateful, but I have only myself (and greed) to blame. Two big scams that I fell for were in the UK and USA. Never in Thailand.

I generally lend only the money I can afford to loose. And even that only to people i trust somewhat. Luckily I don't get asked too often.