Unscrupulous things happen in London as well

[Mac Mickmanus]

I was walking past a central London money exchanger yesterday and there seemed to be an argument going on with a customer . An Arab guy was shouting at the teller and calling him a thief and he actually called the Police .

The Arab guy had handed over U.S$ 1300 to exchange and was given 700 Pounds back , now the actual bank exchange rate would have been over 1000 Pounds for his 1300 $ and so the money exchanger had charged him 300 Pounds to exchange 1300 $

The Arab didn't want the 700 Pounds and asked for his 1300 $ , which the M.E refused and said no refunds .

After a pronged shouting match , the Arab walked off yelling abuse at the M.E

I did sympathise with the Arab guy , but he really should have checked with the exchange rate and commission charges before handing his money over . The Money exchanger was sitting their with the $1300 and refusing to give it back 

Sad to see this kind of thing happening in London

[realfunster]

For sure, you have to be on your guard back in the UK (especially London, as a tourist hub) and not only for 'soft' crimes.

 

I attended a seminar in London around 10 years or so back with some Thai colleagues, on their first day out sight-seeing, they got spotted as easy targets and were mugged, with some minor violence thrown in...

 

Apart from the dangers of walking down Pattaya Beach Road with a gold chain, it is generally much safer on the streets here in Thailand, with more people out and about late at night and the police effectively acting as a local mafia and keen to avoid negative incidents with tourists/foreigners. 

 

 

 

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

23 hours ago, realfunster said:

 

Apart from the dangers of walking down Pattaya Beach Road with a gold chain, it is generally much safer on the streets here in Thailand, with more people out and about late at night and the police effectively acting as a local mafia and keen to avoid negative incidents with tourists/foreigners. 

 

Its quite common in London for bag snatches , expensive watches to be robbed whilst the person is wearing it and for phones to be snatched out peoples hands whilst they are talking  like its a daily occurrence  

[puchooay]

1 hour ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Its quite common in London for bag snatches , expensive watches to be robbed whilst the person is wearing it and for phones to be snatched out peoples hands whilst they are talking  like its a daily occurrence  

How many occurances make " quite common" and a "daily occurance"? 

 

It's never happened to me nor have I ever witnessed it.

 

Can't say I know anyone to whom it has happened either.

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, puchooay said:

How many occurances make " quite common" and a "daily occurance"? 

 

It's never happened to me nor have I ever witnessed it.

 

Can't say I know anyone to whom it has happened either.

Inside London’s phone theft epidemic

 

 

 

In the United Kingdom, over 183 smartphones are stolen every day which means 66,795 smartphones roughly worth £27 million are stolen every year. Most of these thefts happen in the capital city, London. 

 

 

https://thevoiceoflondon.co.uk/inside-londons-phone-theft-epidemic/

[chickenslegs]

5 minutes ago, puchooay said:

How many occurances make " quite common" and a "daily occurance"? 

 

It's never happened to me nor have I ever witnessed it.

 

Can't say I know anyone to whom it has happened either.

140 thefts from the person (so, pickpocketing, snatching, etc without violence) in the City of London in September this year - just the City of London (just over 1 sq mile).

https://www.police.uk/pu/your-area/city-of-london-police/community-policing/

[puchooay]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Inside London’s phone theft epidemic

 

 

 

In the United Kingdom, over 183 smartphones are stolen every day which means 66,795 smartphones roughly worth £27 million are stolen every year. Most of these thefts happen in the capital city, London. 

 

 

https://thevoiceoflondon.co.uk/inside-londons-phone-theft-epidemic/

 

So, what're  the answers to my questions.

 

 

Edited November 21, 2022 by puchooay

[Mac Mickmanus]

2 minutes ago, puchooay said:

That's across the UK. Not only London.

 

So, what're  the answers to my questions.

 

 

If you open the link, it shows this 

 

 

[puchooay]

10 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

If you open the link, it shows this 

 

 

I was asking your opinion. You posted the comments.

 

Personally, with over 2million people travelling on the Tube per day, not to mention those that take buses, taxis etc, I wouldn't call 183 incidents "quite common".

[Mac Mickmanus]

10 minutes ago, puchooay said:

I was asking your opinion. You posted the comments.

 

Personally, with over 2million people travelling on the Tube per day, not to mention those that take buses, taxis etc, I wouldn't call 183 incidents "quite common".

A phone theft every few minutes is "quite common" IMO

[puchooay]

20 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

A phone theft every few minutes is "quite common" IMO

Assuming everyone carries a smartphone, which is not beyond the realms of possibility, that's 0.00915% of phone being stolen. Not common.

[Mac Mickmanus]

10 minutes ago, puchooay said:

Assuming everyone carries a smartphone, which is not beyond the realms of possibility, that's 0.00915% of phone being stolen. Not common.

It is so common that people have been advised NOT to make phones calls in the streets in certain areas , due to the high probability of theft 

[puchooay]

19 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

It is so common that people have been advised NOT to make phones calls in the streets in certain areas , due to the high probability of theft 

Excellent. Thanks for being more precise.

 

We now have "it's common in certain areas". You are getting to your point, slowly.

[Mac Mickmanus]

Just now, puchooay said:

Excellent. Thanks for being more precise.

 

We now have "it's common in certain areas". You are getting to your point, slowly.

You do seem to have a  kind of  phone thief mugger kind of attitude and personality , 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

I find it a bit hard to believe that that could happen in a bricks and mortar store in London. In Australia there would be consumer laws that make such gouging illegal. At minimum they would need big signs clearly showing their fees. It would be like buying a chocolate bar from a shop and they charged your credit card 300 pounds and they say, well that's how much it is, no returns. 

[Bkk Brian]

9 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Inside London’s phone theft epidemic

 

 

 

In the United Kingdom, over 183 smartphones are stolen every day which means 66,795 smartphones roughly worth £27 million are stolen every year. Most of these thefts happen in the capital city, London. 

 

 

https://thevoiceoflondon.co.uk/inside-londons-phone-theft-epidemic/

I can relate to that, just before covid hit I was on holiday in London for a few weeks and sitting at one of the outside cafe's at Covent Garden having lunch. After a few mins an undercover policeman came over to our table and said he had been watching us. Told us to remove our mobile phones from the table as there were many snatch and grab opportunists around.

[youreavinalaff]

7 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I can relate to that, just before covid hit I was on holiday in London for a few weeks and sitting at one of the outside cafe's at Covent Garden having lunch. After a few mins an undercover policeman came over to our table and said he had been watching us. Told us to remove our mobile phones from the table as there were many snatch and grab opportunists around.

In most cities around the world, if you need an under cover cop to tell you that, you are asking for trouble. Sad but true.

 

Many victims of crime only have themselves to blame. Last time I was on public transport I was amazed at how many people had wallets in back trouser pockets, phones in shirt pockets or women with hand bags on the shoulder.

 

Take away the temptation and reduce the risks.

Edited November 22, 2022 by youreavinalaff

[richard_smith237]

17 hours ago, puchooay said:

How many occurances make " quite common" and a "daily occurance"? 

 

It's never happened to me nor have I ever witnessed it.

 

Can't say I know anyone to whom it has happened either.

Sadly... I do... 

 

Brother in Law - Mugged and Rolex watch robbed off him in London (when he was younger).

ExGF - LV handbag snatched in central london

ExGF - Phone stolen out of handbag

 

London is a hotbed of theft and pick-pocketing...  muggings in other areas in the night. 

 

I’ve had two pick pocketing attempt made on me in Prague and Barcelona. 

 

In Bangkok...  20 years of know of 3 thefts. 

Friends Wife - Bag snatched on Thonglor - Motorbike rode past, pillion snatched the bag

Ex GF - Bag snatched (same way as above).

Friends Wife - Phone stollen out of ‘open’ handbag in shopping mall. 

 

IMO - there is a higher risk of bag snatches and pick-pocketing in London than there is in Bangkok. 

But, in Bangkok we are also walking around the streets far less so that makes a big difference. 

 

In all cities we have to be extremely vigilant... i.e. when walking with Wife, her handbag is on her elbow positioned between us... not on the her outside etc (or, don’t take a handbag at all).

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

8 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I can relate to that, just before covid hit I was on holiday in London for a few weeks and sitting at one of the outside cafe's at Covent Garden having lunch. After a few mins an undercover policeman came over to our table and said he had been watching us. Told us to remove our mobile phones from the table as there were many snatch and grab opportunists around.

It astonishes me the extent to which people leave expensive $1000 items laying around in the open... 

 

My Wife is terrible for it in Bangkok...  we’ll be in a pub or a restaurant with friends.. occupied, talking.. She’ll get up and go to the bathroom, leave her phone on the table / handbag on the back of her chair where people are walking past... its so easy for someone to just walk past and take it without any of us noticing... 

 

Thailand does provide that element or impression of ‘safety’.... which may or may not be a false impression.... In London we are on high-alert !

[youreavinalaff]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thailand does provide that element or impression of ‘safety’.... which may or may not be a false impression.... In London we are on high-alert !

You posts speaks volumes about victims who should have been on high alert.

 

You also speak of other cities where you were a victim. Then you single out London. 

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

You posts speaks volumes about victims who should have been on high alert.

 

You also speak of other cities where you were a victim. Then you single out London. 

This OP is about London and he was responding to my post which was about London, maybe that's why?

[youreavinalaff]

24 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

This OP is about London and he was responding to my post which was about London, maybe that's why?

So, you're saying he went off topic?

 

 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, youreavinalaff said:

So, you're saying he went off topic?

 

 

Can you quote where I said that or even hinted it?

[richard_smith237]

37 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

You posts speaks volumes about victims who should have been on high alert.

 

You also speak of other cities where you were a victim. Then you single out London. 

Your post speak volumes about your poor reading comprehension... 

 

back at school days (if you went) were you frequently told ‘mouth into neutral, brain into gear’ ??? 

 

 

Just read the posts again... try reading them out-loud.. it may help. 

[richard_smith237]

10 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Can you quote where I said that or even hinted it?

Ignore him... he’s clearly not very sharp and is misreading comments, making assumptions and trying to pick arguments.... 

 

A perfect example for A. Lincoln's quote..  "its better to remain silent and thought... “....  (I assume most will get the rest of the quote )

[Mac Mickmanus]

12 hours ago, Fat is a type of crazy said:

I find it a bit hard to believe that that could happen in a bricks and mortar store in London. In Australia there would be consumer laws that make such gouging illegal. At minimum they would need big signs clearly showing their fees. It would be like buying a chocolate bar from a shop and they charged your credit card 300 pounds and they say, well that's how much it is, no returns. 

There was an A4 sized paper on the screen showing the exchange rate and also the commission charges on display, albeit in small writing as well .

  Its a private business and they can charge what they like and I am quite sure the kiosk was within the law .

   There are also shops that sell expensive chocolate , although I don't know their refund policy  although I doubt a chocolate shop would take take some sold chocolate  .

   The kiosks reasoning was that the kiosk is in Central London and they need to cover their expenses and they cover their expenses by charging commission  

[youreavinalaff]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Your post speak volumes about your poor reading comprehension... 

 

back at school days (if you went) were you frequently told ‘mouth into neutral, brain into gear’ ??? 

 

 

Just read the posts again... try reading them out-loud.. it may help. 

Insults speak volumes.

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

4 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Can you quote where I said that or even hinted it?

No. That's why I asked a question.

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Insults speak volumes.

As does the absence of comprehension exampled in your post in this thread dear fellow... 

 

Now.. keep up... this thread is about unscrupulous things in London...  we are on a Thai forum... its ok to draw comparisons between cities in Thailand and other cities, its ok draw on personal and anecdote when making comments....    

 

Its also OK to write dumb stuff.. but expect to get called out on it !!!...  

 

 

Now... are you going to contribute to the topic or just attempt to pick holes in the comments others make ???

 

 

[youreavinalaff]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

As does the absence of comprehension exampled in your post in this thread dear fellow... 

 

Now.. keep up... this thread is about unscrupulous things in London...  we are on a Thai forum... its ok to draw comparisons between cities in Thailand and other cities, its ok draw on personal and anecdote when making comments....    

 

Its also OK to write dumb stuff.. but expect to get called out on it !!!...  

 

 

Now... are you going to contribute to the topic or just attempt to pick holes in the comments others make ???

 

 

Why are you so defensive? I merely pointed something out and made an observation 

 

If it really is an issue, just scroll on by.

 

Thanks for confirming how the insults impact on you, BTW. Good day