Huge And Well Organized Grand Palace Scam!

[RoyalOrchid]

Be aware of the huge scam going on there lately: when you get out of taxi go DIRECTLY TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE and NOT to the smaller entrance with the security gard in green uniform (the one closer to the traffic circle). I'm embarassed to admit I fell for this one. (I'm usually pretty good at spotting scams ) This scam includes many people operating it and goes like this: once you are out of the cab a guy walking back and forth on the pedestrian walkway will forward you to that entrance (which you shouldn't go to) and once you are there another member of the gang (usually wearing white shirt and black pants speaking good, but very nervious English) will tell you that the Palace is closed right now because of the Buddist ceremony and will reopen in about 2-3 hours. He will then immediately suggest you to take one of the tuk-tuks, parked nearby (these are the other members of the same gang) and drive to some other temples (like reclining Buddha etc) in the mean time, while waiting for the Palace to "reopen". The tuk-tuk driver will show you pictures of the places he will take you to. Fortunately for us we were three people, and my cousin wanted to experience "the tuk-tuk adventure" anyway so we decided to take a drive (it cost us 50 Baht for 3 people). So he took us to the first and the closest Buddha statue and then just drove us around from souvenier shop to souvenier shop, promising that "right after this one" he will take us to the temples, but that never happened of course. Realizing rather quickly that this was a scam, we paid him his 50B and took a cab back home. We didn't get to the Palace that day (foolishly believing that it was closed) and on the next day when we went there again, same guys were operating there telling tourists the same lies about closed palace and Buddist ceremony...We of course just walked into the main entrance this time and got in without any problem. Just amazing, how such a huge scam can go unnoticed (or maybe nobody really cares about it) right near the main palace, representation of Thailand, where the King's ceremonies take place...My friend offered me to call the tourist police, but I laughed at him, he is so naive....

[RoyalOrchid]

Forgot to add: don't take tuk-tuks either, they all are scam (this I knew already 16 years back, when I first visited Bangkok). They will charge you more than a cab, will take you to souvenier shops, where they get percentage of what you buy, or to some restaurants, which they also get money from. Cab has aircondition and driver's number and will usually put the meter on and will know where to go, so don't give in to tuk-tuks!

[blizzard]

if you tell tuk tuk where to go and give fair price they r no problem. if u dont know where u going and dont know fair price they could be problem................lol

[engrin]

Happened to us last year. "Palace closes at x'oclock and you just missed it. We can take you such and such a temple."

[RoyalOrchid]

if you tell tuk tuk where to go and give fair price they r no problem. if u dont know where u going and dont know fair price they could be problem................lol

but why to bother and spend time on bargaining, trying to explain where to go, sit in the heat, breath the fumes and taking a chance of being brought to some weird place? There are plenty of cabs around and no bargaining needed (except of course for few times where there is heavy traffic).

[blizzard]

some consider taking a tuk tuk a tourist activity they have to do a few times .

[thaihome]

A HUGE scam that cost 50 baht?

TH

[phetaroi]

Be aware of the huge scam going on there lately: when you get out of taxi go DIRECTLY TO THE MAIN ENTRANCE and NOT to the smaller entrance with the security gard in green uniform (the one closer to the traffic circle). I'm embarassed to admit I fell for this one. (I'm usually pretty good at spotting scams ) This scam includes many people operating it and goes like this: once you are out of the cab a guy walking back and forth on the pedestrian walkway will forward you to that entrance (which you shouldn't go to) and once you are there another member of the gang (usually wearing white shirt and black pants speaking good, but very nervious English) will tell you that the Palace is closed right now because of the Buddist ceremony and will reopen in about 2-3 hours. He will then immediately suggest you to take one of the tuk-tuks, parked nearby (these are the other members of the same gang) and drive to some other temples (like reclining Buddha etc) in the mean time, while waiting for the Palace to "reopen". The tuk-tuk driver will show you pictures of the places he will take you to. Fortunately for us we were three people, and my cousin wanted to experience "the tuk-tuk adventure" anyway so we decided to take a drive (it cost us 50 Baht for 3 people). So he took us to the first and the closest Buddha statue and then just drove us around from souvenier shop to souvenier shop, promising that "right after this one" he will take us to the temples, but that never happened of course. Realizing rather quickly that this was a scam, we paid him his 50B and took a cab back home. We didn't get to the Palace that day (foolishly believing that it was closed) and on the next day when we went there again, same guys were operating there telling tourists the same lies about closed palace and Buddist ceremony...We of course just walked into the main entrance this time and got in without any problem. Just amazing, how such a huge scam can go unnoticed (or maybe nobody really cares about it) right near the main palace, representation of Thailand, where the King's ceremonies take place...My friend offered me to call the tourist police, but I laughed at him, he is so naive....

I fell for one this summer...the bird feed one over on Sanam Luang...although it ended funny. Once I was approached by scam artist #2 demanding more money, I started yelling "Kamoy, kamoy," and they both began running.

The one I didn't fall for was at the Grand Palace. As I left the palace I was approached by a woman in a sort of uniform asking to see my ticket. Well, she looked official, so I gave her the little ticket stub (or paper I guess it was). So far I was falling. Then a real policeman came over and began listening. I guess she cooled it a bit then and just said, "You should take a tour on a tuk tuk." The cop walked away, and of course, as soon as she mentioned a tuk tuk I knew it was a scam and just laughed and walked away.

I'm very tolerent of the things that go on in Thailand, but it is a shame that probably the worst scamming in the whole country goes on right in front of the national temple. Ah well, mai pben rai.

[Naam]

A HUGE scam that cost 50 baht?

terrible!

[MrSquigle]

I once had a tuk tuk guy be extremely honest with me,

I wanted to go somewhere, he said ok for 40b, it was some distance and a taxi would have been around 80/100b.

He said, I take you there if you stop at 2 tailors for me and run inside and back out. Told me he gets 1 litre of juice for his hog each customer that walks in the door from him.

I did, he got juice...twice....I got where I wanted to go and had a look around a different part of town never been before.

Win for everyone.

[madjbs]

Something isn't quite right, this scam is by no means new and anyone that has been here a short time knows it. But then you say you have known about the tuk tuk scam for 16 years.

[Cobalt60]

Its amazing how often places are closed, MBK, Paragon, Hard Rock etc, i found the answer is to lie about where you are going when asked and suddenley all the places that were closed are open when you get there

[DP25]

Hehe, I remember this scam from my first week in Bangkok. I was walking to the grand palace at about 4:30 pm when a women approached me while I was taking photos of Sanam Luang. She said she was a nurse from Chiang Mai on vacation and showed me around a temple near Thammasat. After she said the palace was closing at 5pm so I should come back tomorrow, but luckily she knew several other temples that were open later, as well as a special silk emporium that was only open 1 week a year, and she would get a tuk tuk for me to see all this for the local price, only 40 baht. I figured this was probably a scam and the tuk tuk driver would take me take me to a bunch of shops, but then again I did want to see the places she showed me on the map, and it was getting a bit late for the Grand Palace.

So I got in the tuk tuk, we went to 3 different temples before the tuk tuk dropped me off at a tailor shop. I refused to go in at first and the made the tuk tuk drive off. He pulled over and had tears in his eyes, and begged me to go in and just look for 10 minutes so he could get a petrol voucher. I reluctantly agreed, and went in the shop. I feigned interest for as long as I was able to, while the salesman used high pressure tactics to get me to hand over cash for a suit immediately. No, they were not open tomorrow, they're only open today. No, they don't have a business card, I have to buy now. No, I cannot come back next week, they're fully booked up and only have time to make a suit if I buy today. I left, without buying, and the tuk tuk driver laughed his ass off when I told him I didn't buy anything. He dropped me off at Wat Saket and I payed him the 40 baht. It was a good deal.

[CelticBhoy]

I work in the area and see these people doing their stuff every day.

I have seen the same ones operating in the same areas for months.

My theory is that if I can spot them then so can the Old Bill and they do nothing about it.

[RoyalOrchid]

Something isn't quite right, this scam is by no means new and anyone that has been here a short time knows it. But then you say you have known about the tuk tuk scam for 16 years.

Since I don't go to Grand Palace every day I had noticed this scam only few month ago. I've been to Palace 4 times already, but had never noticed it before, maybe there were less people involved in it then...

[RoyalOrchid]

Its amazing how often places are closed, MBK, Paragon, Hard Rock etc, i found the answer is to lie about where you are going when asked and suddenley all the places that were closed are open when you get there

I also always laugh when I go somewhere and somebody approaches me and says that today (due to Buddist ceremony, holiday, cleaning, repairing etc etc) this place is closed. I continue walking saying "yes, yes, yes, I know it's closed, it's okey though.." and of course everything is open.

[backflip]

"Huge and well organized"

If you say so...but the "tuk tuk sight-seeing scam" has been around for years. Only once did I fall for the "two hour sight-seeing tour for 10THB" scam. I'm not sure that your mafia was involved, but it went like this: the driver went where wanted to, not where I wanted to. He took me to all sorts of tailor shops, and jewelry stores. Two hours later, he let me off where he started. Mafia, indeed.

[kash]

Its amazing how often places are closed, MBK, Paragon, Hard Rock etc, i found the answer is to lie about where you are going when asked and suddenley all the places that were closed are open when you get there

I also always laugh when I go somewhere and somebody approaches me and says that today (due to Buddist ceremony, holiday, cleaning, repairing etc etc) this place is closed. I continue walking saying "yes, yes, yes, I know it's closed, it's okey though.." and of course everything is open.

mm, quite a few of them in the beginning of January, started arguing loudly with the guards that it was a scam and they showed them their Lonely Planet's, too bad the Grand Palace actually was closed from the 1-9th

[blizzard]

do any of you who join the 40 baht tours actually buy merchandise at the preferred retailers.

it seems they cant survive by just getting a cup of juice for their efforts.............lol.

[adad]

Here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_gem_scam

http://www.bangkokscams.com/

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/Scams/Sapphire.shtml

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=erawan+scam

[TopDogger]

A HUGE scam that cost 50 baht?

TH

And made them miss out on the Kings Palace which is the only reason they were there in the first place...........

[0Mix1up]

To a Foreigner/Farang.....scam

To a Thai......business