Laos Visa Scam

Laos visa scam

Unscrupulous travel agents in South-East Asia are operating a visa scam which is catching growing numbers of travellers to Laos. It involves supplying 5-day, or 15-day visas to customers who pay for expensive 30-day permits.

The fraud appears to be widespread in Hanoi, north Vietnam, the starting point for many trips to neighbouring Laos, but is also happening in Chiang Rai, north Thailand.

The three visa types are distinguished only by different codes, with the duration of stay revealed only by a passport date stamp issued at Laos immigration points.

Travellers have been forced to cut short trips to Laos, which attracts 700,000 visitors a year and has become an essential part of the backpacker circuit through Indochina. Some travellers have received hefty fines from the Laos authorities for unwittingly overstaying their visas.

Proper long-stay visas can be bought for £26 direct from the Laos Embassy in Hanoi or, for less, at the Laos Embassy in Bangkok.

-- timesonline.co.uk

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4161-1172813,00.html