Pictures courtesy of The Pattaya News

 

A luxury rental vehicle has vanished in Pattaya, leaving its owner, an Indian businessman, to suspect foul play and professional scammers at work.

 

On the night of 19th August, Prem Kumar, 54, approached Pattaya City Police Station with a pressing complaint. He reported the unexplained disappearance of a white-and-black Toyota, with the licence plate JPH 9160 Chon Buri, which had been rented weeks prior but never returned.

 

Using an interpreter, Kumar conveyed to Colonel Kamol Uppakarat, Lieutenant Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, that the car was rented by a Thai man on 28th July with a clear agreement to return it by 11th August. Instead, the renter vanished, cut off all contact, and even disabled the car's GPS—a detail Kumar cites as evidence of deceitful intent.

 

"If the renter had honest intentions, they would have contacted me or returned the car by now," Kumar asserted.

 

As a small business owner, Kumar highlighted the significant financial impact the loss has incurred, fearing this incident might be part of an organised criminal network preying on car rental businesses in Pattaya. Other operators, he mentioned, have experienced remarkably similar incidents, raising alarms about a potential wider scheme.

 

"This feels like an organised scam. They know how to disappear with vehicles and cover their tracks," he said.

 

Kumar called on the police to intensify their efforts, expressing concerns over both his own livelihood and the broader confidence in Pattaya's car rental market. A single unrecovered vehicle not only represents a financial blow but also undermines trust among honest customers.

 

In response, police confirmed that an investigation is underway. Officers are trying to trace the missing Toyota and uncover those responsible for this apparent fraud.

 

Car rental scams are a known issue in Pattaya, where the environment of tourists, locals, and short-term rentals can be exploited by con artists. Missing vehicles are often taken far from the city, dismantled for parts, or illegally sold with fraudulent documents.

 

Kumar remains hopeful that timely action will deter future scams, stating: "I just want my car back and those responsible punished."

 

With the market for rental vehicles so vulnerable, the case highlights the need for businesses to employ advanced security measures and for authorities to crack down on such fraudulent activities, aiming to protect both proprietors and renters alike.

 

The estimated value of the missing vehicle is around 1.5 million Thai Baht, a significant loss that underscores the gravity of the situation for the rental business community in Pattaya.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-20

 

"Som nom nah" comes to mind!

Hope he has good insurance and not using a Thai nominee for his business. 

I thought  hard to find extra tracker was standard in rental  vehicles?

Come on chaps, let's all help him, please be on the look out for a "white-and-black Toyota"    😎

A luxury car at just 1.5 million cost?

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

I thought  hard to find extra tracker was standard in rental  vehicles?

Hard to track, but not impossible. In fact, easy for an experienced professional thief who had 10 days time too.

Rebirthing is alive and well in Pattaya 

Probably already stripped down to it's individual parts by now.

1 hour ago, saakura said:

A luxury car at just 1.5 million cost?

Luxury for some.

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I thought  hard to find extra tracker was standard in rental  vehicles?

Too cheap to install a real tracker.

I use 2.  One a little easier to find so any thieves will think they've found it.

 

Is this a step up from the theft of gold necklaces?  

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I thought  hard to find extra tracker was standard in rental  vehicles?

Hard to find for the average user but a pro will find it quickly.  Just like drugs, there are only so many hiding places on a vehicle and it needs a power source.

 

Remembering the biker gang murder in Jomtien some years ago where-in the killer rented a pickup to transport the body to a remote burial site.  Cops got the pick-up and used it's GPS tracker to take them directly to the grave.

The scammer becomes the scammed. How delicious.

When you rent a car, even from a 'private' company, surely you need to give ID, passport or in this the guys ID card, as he was Thai. Plus a  credit card? Contact details address etc, driving license?

Or am mistaken?

16 hours ago, bdenner said:

"Som nom nah" comes to mind!

 

Why? Because he's an Indian businessman?

 

11 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

The scammer becomes the scammed. How delicious.

 

Who is the scammer? The Indian businessman?

Illegal car rental company???

34 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

 

Why? Because he's an Indian businessman?

 

 

Who is the scammer? The Indian businessman?

 

come on it's a joke lighten up. Stealing cars is wrong obviously so I hope the thieves are caught and the guy gets his car back.

I am sure he had a work permit, a company legally operating the business of car rental, the insurance company covering the vehicle as used for business/rental ...... the works. 

If he needed an interpreter, then either the police officer did not speak English - there is most likely no other. 

Possibly he coughs up a retrieval bonus of, say, 50,000 Baht and wonders happen and the vehicle appears within days. Best to offer the reward to the non-English speaking officer, he might know more where to go with such a request/idea ..... 

 Pattaya Car Theft: Indian Owner Claims Professional Scam

 

Some Trackers and a Good Insurance should've taking care of his problem after he reported this problem to the Cops 

But  than maybe he was too Lousy to spend some money for his cars for Protection.

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pictures courtesy of The Pattaya News

 

A luxury rental vehicle has vanished in Pattaya, leaving its owner, an Indian businessman, to suspect foul play and professional scammers at work.

 

On the night of 19th August, Prem Kumar, 54, approached Pattaya City Police Station with a pressing complaint. He reported the unexplained disappearance of a white-and-black Toyota, with the licence plate JPH 9160 Chon Buri, which had been rented weeks prior but never returned.

 

Using an interpreter, Kumar conveyed to Colonel Kamol Uppakarat, Lieutenant Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, that the car was rented by a Thai man on 28th July with a clear agreement to return it by 11th August. Instead, the renter vanished, cut off all contact, and even disabled the car's GPS—a detail Kumar cites as evidence of deceitful intent.

 

"If the renter had honest intentions, they would have contacted me or returned the car by now," Kumar asserted.

 

As a small business owner, Kumar highlighted the significant financial impact the loss has incurred, fearing this incident might be part of an organised criminal network preying on car rental businesses in Pattaya. Other operators, he mentioned, have experienced remarkably similar incidents, raising alarms about a potential wider scheme.

 

"This feels like an organised scam. They know how to disappear with vehicles and cover their tracks," he said.

 

Kumar called on the police to intensify their efforts, expressing concerns over both his own livelihood and the broader confidence in Pattaya's car rental market. A single unrecovered vehicle not only represents a financial blow but also undermines trust among honest customers.

 

In response, police confirmed that an investigation is underway. Officers are trying to trace the missing Toyota and uncover those responsible for this apparent fraud.

 

Car rental scams are a known issue in Pattaya, where the environment of tourists, locals, and short-term rentals can be exploited by con artists. Missing vehicles are often taken far from the city, dismantled for parts, or illegally sold with fraudulent documents.

 

Kumar remains hopeful that timely action will deter future scams, stating: "I just want my car back and those responsible punished."

 

With the market for rental vehicles so vulnerable, the case highlights the need for businesses to employ advanced security measures and for authorities to crack down on such fraudulent activities, aiming to protect both proprietors and renters alike.

 

The estimated value of the missing vehicle is around 1.5 million Thai Baht, a significant loss that underscores the gravity of the situation for the rental business community in Pattaya.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-08-20

 

car rental componys are covered by there own insurance

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Is this a step up from the theft of gold necklaces?  

What a stupid answer and comment! Can't get out of your racist mentality, can you?

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

come on it's a joke lighten up. Stealing cars is wrong obviously so I hope the thieves are caught and the guy gets his car back.

Yes you made a joke but generally all you prix do is make jokes at the expense of other nationalities - Chinese, Indians, Russians - while overlooking all the crimes that the so-called "rich" tourist from the West is involved in, ranging from paedophilia to stealing

12 minutes ago, captpkapoor said:

Yes you made a joke but generally all you prix do is make jokes at the expense of other nationalities - Chinese, Indians, Russians - while overlooking all the crimes that the so-called "rich" tourist from the West is involved in, ranging from paedophilia to stealing

Absolutely true! 

The favorites were the Chinese, Indians, Russians... but now the tables have turned!

Today, we see who the REAL racists are... not that it was a big secret, anyway. 

5 hours ago, saakura said:

A luxury car at just 1.5 million cost?

by Indian standards

Anyone with half a brain running this kind of business should take into account that such occurrences are very possible given the circumstances and safeguard himself and his stock in such times such as insurance.

13 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

by Indian standards

 

 

Indian standards........................................ my first oxymoron of he day

3 hours ago, chuang said:

Illegal car rental company???

 

Yes, if I was running an illegal car rental business, the first people I would report any theft to is the cops.

 

Doh...

40 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

54 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

by Indian standards

 

 

Indian standards........................................ my first oxymoron of he day

 

Indian standards only apply in Roghan Ghosht, Chicken Jalfrezi and Bombay Aloo.

47 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Anyone with half a brain running this kind of business should take into account that such occurrences are very possible given the circumstances and safeguard himself and his stock in such times such as insurance.

 

The missing vehicle did have GPS tracking that appears to have been disabled. Does it say his vehicle was uninsured?