Tell me what scam you have been in ?

[georgegeorgia]

I just watched a beautiful video "stupid tourist" YouTuber who purposely got a Tuk Tuk from the Grand Palace who said he will take him for 20 baht back to his hotel but first....he needs to stop at tailor shops , a fake temple etc 

 

He ended up buying nothing !

The tailors wanted 10 on for a Armani suit 

And the Tuk Tuk was not happy 

 

Anyway he is a American guy with "balls" , he still paid the guy his 20 baht 

How many of us have been through this scam ?

And let me add ,when he was outside the tailors , Tuk Tuk kept dropping off more n more farangs tk big suits who wanted the cheap Tuk Tuk rides but gave to look at suits first or Gem stores 

 

Why is thus still going on ?

 

 

[KannikaP]

It certainly isn't for me.

[JellyBabies]

This game is as old as the hills, oddly years ago one of the tailors I used in Bangkok was in on the tourist scam, never got charged the silly prices though as they knew I lived there

[PeterA]

I got the same scam 2 years ago. The tuk tuk driver was stationed in front of the hotel I was staying at. I said I needed a ride to such and such a place, not more than a few klms away. He gave me a price, then said can we stop at a tailors. I knew the tricks of the trade, as I 've been here a long time, but I had time on my hands. So off to the tailors. Nice place, all Middle Eastern people. A big shop as well, two stories, 10 or more salesmen wandering about. I thought about some silk for the wife. So he grabbed one 1st in line on the shelf and gave me a price. I liked the color, so we did a deal. I think it was 900 thb for  enough to make a dress. I know good Thai silk is not cheap.  So I finished my journey with the driver. 
When I gave my wife the silk, she was not impressed.  She told me it was not real Thai silk. Worth a hundred baht or two. 

The next time I stayed at the hotel, the tuk tuk driver waved remembering my face and asked if I needed a ride. I gave him my best "evil eye" and moved on. Lesson learned, again. 

[OneMoreFarang]

That is one of the reasons why I don't like to travel to places which I don't know.

I don't want to be one of those tourists who know nothing, and everybody only wants their money. 

[0ffshore360]

Many years back my Thai wife  and I accepted such a fare. It was early in the day and we had no urgent need to be anywhere. We were taken to a semi precious stone  jewelry outlet. All very  nice but too expensive to attract even my Thai spouse for items that were not GOLD !

We completed the circuit of the shop  and left.

Tuktuk driver honored the deal and we returned to hotel for 20 Baht.

 

What scam?

Can only be a scam if the driver does not announce conditions of transport. If so then walk away and seek a different driver !

People  need to differentiate  "scam" from  "negotiated " .

More than once I have videoed conversations with taxi drivers in total duration of journey and in two cases where gross dispute was attempted I made it clear I had evidence to provide.

 

[scubascuba3]

Back in 98 that was kinda normal, stop at tailors or gem shop and tuk tuk fare was less. I just said no, surprised it's still going.

 

Remember the orange juice scam? i.e sugar added, is that still going?

[jas007]

I guess this sort of qualifies as a "scam":   

 

The very first time I traveled to Thailand, 24 years ago, I stayed in Bangkok two nights and then headed to Phuket.  I didn't have any hotel reservations, just some names of some places I wanted to look at in Patong Beach.  At the Phuket airport, I decided to get a ride from some taxi driver that was standing around, waiting for a customer.  I forget what the fare was, but it seemed reasonable at the time,  Anyway, on the trip to Patong Beach, he asked me where I was staying and so on, and I made the mistake of telling him where I wanted to go and that I didn't have a reservation. A little bit later, on the way, he pulled into some little travel office, went inside, and then came out and told me that the hotels I wanted to go to were all "full."  That sounded fishy, because it was April.  But he had an alternative and refused to continue the trip unless I booked a room at the hotel he was recommending.   I'm sure he was getting a cut. I finally bought a few nights, just to get out of there. As it turned out, the place was OK, and I ended up staying there almost a month.

 

Back then, I didn't have a phone in Thailand, so I was trapped into the deal.  

 

Today, they have official taxis at the airport, or mini buses, so things are probably better. 

[J Branche]

The US health insurance scam.  You pay a premium, then have to pay a deductible before they pay anything, then you pay X percent because of the copay.  Then they will "Investigate" some claims they don't want to pay.

 

Oh you want to see a general practitioner, yes first available appointment is in a month.  

[RSD1]

Scams are for fools. And normally only greedy fools fall victim to them. 
 

Over 30 years ago, after only 1 day in Thailand, as I was stumbling in the afterglow, after emerging from my first sudsy experience, I got whisked off to a shop for a jewelry scam. This was pre-internet and before the availability of all the thousands of scam warnings about Thailand that are now plastered everywhere.
 

I was being polite by agreeing to go to the jewelry shop, but I have no interest in gems and, shortly after I arrived at the shop, I realized it was a scam and walked out. They appeared angry and I'm glad they didn't become violent.

My advice is not to even tempt fate by being gracious or curious. Just walk away every time before things with a scam go too far. Now there is no excuse at all for falling for any of these petty scams. Warnings are everywhere. 

[kingstonkid]

LOL TUK TUK were are not the only ones Taxis do it too.  

 

I still go by if it is too good to be true moniker.  But got scammed in a massage parlour recently in NANA cost me an extra 1000 but hey.

 

The other scam still going is ping pong 100 baht beer LOL

[SAFETY FIRST]

18 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

got a Tuk Tuk from the Grand Palace who said he will take him for 20 baht back to his hotel but first....he needs to stop at tailor shops

Thank God we now have Bolt. 

 

[georgegeorgia]

3 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

LOL TUK TUK were are not the only ones Taxis do it too.  

 

I still go by if it is too good to be true moniker.  But got scammed in a massage parlour recently in NANA cost me an extra 1000 but hey.

 

The other scam still going is ping pong 100 baht beer LOL

They say Vietnam is the land of scams when it comes to massage 

How did you get scammed in Nana ?

[kingstonkid]

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

They say Vietnam is the land of scams when it comes to massage 

How did you get scammed in Nana ?

 

1 minute ago, georgegeorgia said:

They say Vietnam is the land of scams when it comes to massage 

How did you get scammed in Nana ?

Got given a price for a massage on suk 9 and ended up with 2 in the room that wanted to be paid as well as payment for the room LOL

[georgegeorgia]

Just now, kingstonkid said:

 

Got given a price for a massage on suk 9 and ended up with 2 in the room that wanted to be paid as well as payment for the room LOL

Geez ! Lol

And then had to tell them to get out of I guess stop the massage 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

17 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

They say Vietnam is the land of scams when it comes to massage 

Around 20 years ago I was working offshore Vung Tau, we had a 3 day safety training onshore. 

On the last day of training the course finished early, so I went to get a massage. I found a massage parlour, it had many beautiful girls, saw the one I wanted, we walked in the massage room, it had an ensuite, steam machine, she turned it on, we got undressed.

She then washed me down with this steam making contraption pouring out steam, then I laid down on the bed, on my stomach, she rolled me over, gave me a 2 minute massage (worst massage ever), just a squeeze here and there. 
She had no interest in massaging me, she was after the extra cash, so she starts playing and sucking down there, then she gets on top of me, she enjoyed the ride. 😂

Job done we go back to the steam contraption/shower room for another wash together. 

 

It was weird, not really a scam, very little massage but lots of hankypankee. 
 

 

[RSD1]

8 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

so she starts playing and sucking down there

Poor girl, seemingly all she got was a mouthful of swirly hair. Sounds like she was a good sport about it though. Well, guess we all can't be blessed between the loins.

[mushroomdave]

Had one of those 2 floor units you can have a shop in below (I didn't) and live above in Lam Plai Mat a few yrs ago.  Saw some wires coming into mine from the next door "vacant" unit's rollup door and the landlord avoided my questions if I was somehow paying for power from there? 

She only responded "nobody there, nobody there". 

So I had her go with me and showed her I unplugged everything there was running and made her look at the meter which of course was still going. 

(I was going to say it must be the ghost next door but thought better LOL)

She had a guy there to take all those wires out an hour later!!   

TIT !!!

[RSD1]

14 minutes ago, mushroomdave said:

Had one of those 2 floor units you can have a shop in below (I didn't) and live above in Lam Plai Mat a few yrs ago.  Saw some wires coming into mine from the next door "vacant" unit's rollup door and the landlord avoided my questions if I was somehow paying for power from there? 

She only responded "nobody there, nobody there". 

So I had her go with me and showed her I unplugged everything there was running and made her look at the meter which of course was still going. 

(I was going to say it must be the ghost next door but thought better LOL)

She had a guy there to take all those wires out an hour later!!   

TIT !!!

It still amazes me that somebody would try and steal somebody else's electricity by getting them to unknowingly foot the bill. I wonder in how many other countries that's even a problem? It seems so small minded. Well, I guess anything is possible in the hub of petty scams.