Beware Of Duty Free 'theft' Scam

[brahmburgers]

The following 'Letter to the Editor' was in Nation newspaper, April 30:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An Indian traveller was detained in Bangkok for [allegedly] stealing a box of cigarettes from a duty-free shop at Bangkok International Airport. He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He was arrested for shoplifting and the Thai police extortion price was Bt30,000 for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid Bt500 for an air-conditioned cell, Bt200-300 for each visitor, and Bt11,000 for his final release. The police shared the money in front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined Bt2,000 by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While in jail, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy but were told the embassy was unable to assist.

The man shared a cell with a Singaporean on the first night, who paid Bt60,000 for his release. On the second night there was a Malaysian national who paid Bt70,000. Many Asians are victimized similarly daily, and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. This was not in a shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at Bangkok's international airport. Be warned.

[spacefruit]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Truth-This-t257982.html

Previously reported.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a public inquiry into this?

Perhaps a national news paper could actually send a journalist off to interview sales staff / police / airport managers?

Perfect opportunity for some investigative journalism.

Or not. As usual.

[doggie888888]

The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack???? In this day and age, particularly in BKK airport if anyone puts anything into any of your belongings, surely you'd be be asking some questions. Besides there are CCTVs at the shops, and some are focussed on the cashier, so any such "theft" can be verified. I really doubt the credibility of this story. And I wonder what other stamps Immigration uses besides "Thief"...what about "Hitman"? Conman? Drunkard? Rude Bastard?

[JoeThePoster]

And I wonder what other stamps Immigration uses besides "Thief"...what about "Hitman"? Conman? Drunkard? Rude Bastard?

I heard that there are some passports that have been watermarked - ATM.

[junkofdavid2]

I'm not contesting the fact that airport personnel could be doing this scam.

But to believe that the guy thought it was a "free pack" is complete baloney.

At the very least, it was thought to be a mistake, and then the Indian guy was happy that maybe he could "get away with it".

[merijn]

Why would an staff of the shop put a sigarettes pack in his bag?

What does he has to gain with this, Nothing i think.

I think that there is more to this story like many times.

[brahmburgers]

Even if there is something fishy about this story, it is believable that the punishment goes too far.

Plus, it's totally believable that 'money talks' when a person is about to be, or is incarcerated. That too, is out of line.

Far better, that if the clerk suspected a theft, to either deal with it person to person or, if that doesn't work to call authorities. Regardless, it's better all around if a stern warning be issued - than hauling someone off to a prison cell and letting him know that only a large sum of money will enable him to get free.

Some might say that harsh penalties are needed to 'send a message' to other would-be thieves. I can see the sense of that argument to some degree. Yet the trade off, by issuing too harsh retribution, is an on-going bad name for duty-free and for cops/justice system in Thailand. I never shopped at duty-free - for reasons of never wanting anything they offered, and even what's on offer was always very expensive. However, I'm now even less inclined to even visit duty-free at a Thai airport. Not a problem for me, but it doesn't bode well for duty free shops, if a lot of people adopt as similar attitude of cutting a wide swath around duty-free concessions.

[Farma]

It’s common for duty free shops to give free gizits whenever I’ve bought perfumes, makeup and other odds and ends.

If there’s any truth in this story it will make me think twice before accepting them if I ever buy at Swampy duty free.

[Guest Bellini]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Truth-This-t257982.html

Previously reported.

...

So an email hoax gets sent around the world and some recipients copy the text into a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, some others copy it into a post on an Internet forum, and the majority do the right thing: report it as spam and delete it.

[brahmburgers]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Truth-This-t257982.html

Previously reported.

...

So an email hoax gets sent around the world and some recipients copy the text into a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, some others copy it into a post on an Internet forum, and the majority do the right thing: report it as spam and delete it.

I wish I could be so self-righteously assured about things as Bellini. It may be hoax, or it may be true. To me it's believable. I've posted things on T.Visa before which I've known to be 100% true, yet there are often super cynics like Bellini who choose to poke holes at any story that's outside his scope of believability.

It's good to be discerning in life, but to slap a blanket 'untrue / lies' stamp on everything outside the ordinary is a sad way to go about things.

Let's see if there are other stories like this - relating to possible rip-off scams by duty free and cops. If it was a complete anomaly, then perhaps it was fabricated (but why?). If it was true, then it's good reason to avoid shopping at duty free at SUV.

[AsiaMB]

The following 'Letter to the Editor' was in Nation newspaper, April 30:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An Indian traveller was detained in Bangkok for [allegedly] stealing a box of cigarettes from a duty-free shop at Bangkok International Airport. He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He was arrested for shoplifting and the Thai police extortion price was Bt30,000 for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid Bt500 for an air-conditioned cell, Bt200-300 for each visitor, and Bt11,000 for his final release. The police shared the money in front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined Bt2,000 by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While in jail, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy but were told the embassy was unable to assist.

The man shared a cell with a Singaporean on the first night, who paid Bt60,000 for his release. On the second night there was a Malaysian national who paid Bt70,000. Many Asians are victimized similarly daily, and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. This was not in a shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at Bangkok's international airport. Be warned.

Welcome to Thailand, I am sure the Chief of Police is making his cut too, as well as the politicians......

[chiangmaibruce]

I would suggest that it IS a hoax, refer to another item from a year ago:

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thu...ional/2515175/1

[mauGR1]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Truth-This-t257982.html

Previously reported.

...

So an email hoax gets sent around the world and some recipients copy the text into a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, some others copy it into a post on an Internet forum, and the majority do the right thing: report it as spam and delete it.

I wish I could be so self-righteously assured about things as Bellini. It may be hoax, or it may be true. To me it's believable. I've posted things on T.Visa before which I've known to be 100% true, yet there are often super cynics like Bellini who choose to poke holes at any story that's outside his scope of believability.

It's good to be discerning in life, but to slap a blanket 'untrue / lies' stamp on everything outside the ordinary is a sad way to go about things.

Let's see if there are other stories like this - relating to possible rip-off scams by duty free and cops. If it was a complete anomaly, then perhaps it was fabricated (but why?). If it was true, then it's good reason to avoid shopping at duty free at SUV.

I don't if it's a hoax or not,but you can be sure,i'll avoid duty free shop at Swampy like the plague!

[pampal]

Don't they sell cigs by the carton only?

[Guest Bellini]

...It may be hoax, or it may be true...

As I wrote in another topic on the the same subject on this forum, any email that starts or ends with "Spread news to your family members, friends, relatives" or anything similar is a hoax. You can be 100% sure of this.

[Chivas]

Hoax or otherwise I for one am tired,sick and pished off with the ongoing "rams" that involve everyday life within Thailand.

The corruption is endemic (spelling) but has pushed me personally to the edge of never returning to this country that I previously idolised.

Am very much married but feel that 18 years of life have been close to wasted with these people.

Sorry if that offends some but is not spoken lightly.

Chivas

[sedeflonga]

The following 'Letter to the Editor' was in Nation newspaper, April 30:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An Indian traveller was detained in Bangkok for [allegedly] stealing a box of cigarettes from a duty-free shop at Bangkok International Airport. He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He was arrested for shoplifting and the Thai police extortion price was Bt30,000 for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid Bt500 for an air-conditioned cell, Bt200-300 for each visitor, and Bt11,000 for his final release. The police shared the money in front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined Bt2,000 by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While in jail, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy but were told the embassy was unable to assist.

The man shared a cell with a Singaporean on the first night, who paid Bt60,000 for his release. On the second night there was a Malaysian national who paid Bt70,000. Many Asians are victimized similarly daily, and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. This was not in a shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at Bangkok's international airport. Be warned.

this sounds more like a fake accusation... I received that mail a few month back already and it gets circulated. Yet, the numbers and nationalities are different, funny =)

[sedeflonga]

one note: Why aren't the victims name anywhere to see ;-)

[Igor]

I'm not contesting the fact that airport personnel could be doing this scam.

But to believe that the guy thought it was a "free pack" is complete baloney.

Hey, slow down, Cowboy. He was a traveller. Not a long term TV member like you. It's not uncommon for shops in some places to give a free gift with a purchase. Last time I was in Singapore. the duty free included a gift-wrapped miniature of Kahlua or maybe it was Tia Maria, with my purchase of a bottle of vodka. Of course, it was also clearly marked as a free gift. So, whether there is more to the story or not, I don't find it impossible the man would have thought it a freebie.

In any case, this ought to be just one more nail in Thailand's tourism revival coffin.

[Mario2008]

The following 'Letter to the Editor' was in Nation newspaper, April 30:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

An Indian traveller was detained in Bangkok for [allegedly] stealing a box of cigarettes from a duty-free shop at Bangkok International Airport. He had paid for chocolates and a carton of cigarettes. The cashier put a packet of cigarettes into his bag and he thought it was a free pack. He was arrested for shoplifting and the Thai police extortion price was Bt30,000 for his release. He spent two nights in jail and paid Bt500 for an air-conditioned cell, Bt200-300 for each visitor, and Bt11,000 for his final release. The police shared the money in front of his eyes. On top of that, he was charged in court and fined Bt2,000 by the magistrate and handcuffed and escorted to his plane. His passport was stamped "Thief". While in jail, his relatives requested help from the Indian Embassy but were told the embassy was unable to assist.

The man shared a cell with a Singaporean on the first night, who paid Bt60,000 for his release. On the second night there was a Malaysian national who paid Bt70,000. Many Asians are victimized similarly daily, and letters and phone calls to the Thai authorities are ignored. This was not in a shop in downtown Bangkok but in a duty-free shop at Bangkok's international airport. Be warned.

Let's have a look at this story:

- there are cameras at the airport and they do register

- He paid of the police for 30,000 baht

- he paid of the police 11,000 baht, others paid off much more

- the judge fined him 2,000 baht.

- his passport was stamped thief.

Was the letter perhaps dated April 1?

[Furbie]

Humm, which part of the story is unbelievable? A clerk is in league with the police to extort someone. The police accept bribes. There is corruption at the airport. Or is it the fact all of them are together? Whether this happened or not, I do not know. Is it possible in Thailand – sure it is.

The number of times Thailand defenders have jumped up and said something is not true only to have it proven true is staggering.

[mrukman]

Last year a warning of a new scam at swampy was issued. It said that because duty free from Europe had to be in clear bags ( which they are) there were spotters in the Airport looking for tourists flying in with more ciggies that were allowed. A pull from Airport security and low and behold your ciggies confiscated and a fine. I read this on several site's. Your Scammed here in Thailand before you even leave the Airport.

[jackspratt]

Last year a warning of a new scam at swampy was issued. It said that because duty free from Europe had to be in clear bags ( which they are) there were spotters in the Airport looking for tourists flying in with more ciggies that were allowed. A pull from Airport security and low and behold your ciggies confiscated and a fine. I read this on several site's. Your Scammed here in Thailand before you even leave the Airport.

Hmm.........you seem to be describing the practice of the Thai Excise officers stationed at the airport who legally fine and seize cigarettes from those stupid enough to exceed their duty free allowances.

Hardly a scam

Suggest you get in touch with a guy named Emperor_Tud

[basjke]

Last year a warning of a new scam at swampy was issued. It said that because duty free from Europe had to be in clear bags ( which they are) there were spotters in the Airport looking for tourists flying in with more ciggies that were allowed. A pull from Airport security and low and behold your ciggies confiscated and a fine. I read this on several site's. Your Scammed here in Thailand before you even leave the Airport.

Since when cigarettes had to be in clear bags?They aren't liquid are they.

[mamanoodle]

Roll on November 2010 when Thailand has its 14th(and still not sorted it) national anti corruption conference, I kid you not, the ad for conference organiser was in Friday's bangkok post,start date June 2009 to Dec 2010 salary 30,000bt month,apply to the national anti corruption committee??( if you can afford their tea money haha) native English speaker, previous applicants need not reapply. Hard task obviously, to find suitable applicant who knows absolutely nothing about the corruption in Thailand, but maybe the conference will address, or put a stop to all this,hahahaha!!!

[syd barrett]

Another Airport Alert

About two years ago I was at the airport, sitting in Burger King enjoying a burger, when all of a sudden there was a kerfuffle behind me with two Indian men and security guards. They had been accused of taking an extra can of drink from the self-service fridge.

They were well dressed and didn't look short of cash, in fact during the argument one of the Indian men threw a wad of notes onto the table as if to prove his worth.

Because they could not show receipts (from Burger King) they were detained and missed their flight. I know this because I spoke to some of their fellow Indian friends at the Emirates gate later.

I would advise everyone to always ask for, and keep your receipts at airport shops. Even Burger King.

[iforget]

They're at it again. This is from the Times (UK) (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6590584.ece )

Quote:

A British couple who were falsely accused of shoplifting in Bangkok airport and were forced to pay £8,000 in bribes to secure their release are to take legal action for compensation.

They were the victims of an extortion racket that has ensnared other foreign travellers at the airport, which handles most of the 800,000 British visitors to Thailand every year.

Stephen Ingram, 49, and Xi Lin, 45, both technology professionals from Cambridge, were detained by security guards as they went to board Qantas flight QF1 to London on the night of Saturday, April 25.

They were accused of taking a Givenchy wallet worth £121 from a King Power duty-free shop and were handed over to the police. An official release order from the local Thai prosecutor's office subsequently conceded there was no evidence against them.

They were freed five days later after a frightening ordeal in which they said they were threatened and held against their will at a cheap motel on the airport perimeter until they had handed over the money.

The bribes were paid to an intermediary [name removed] who works as a "volunteer" interpreter for Thailand's tourist police (motto: "To serve and to protect").

"Our main motivation is to protect other innocent British tourists from being caught up in this nightmare," said Ingram last week. "We intend to take every legal means to recover our money and obtain justice."

Last week [name removed] admitted in a telephone interview that he had received cash and money transfers amounting to more than £7,000 from the Britons. He said the money was for police bail and for a payment to a figure he called "Little Big Man" who could withdraw the case against them.

"In Thailand everyone knows it's like that," he said. "They can go to jail or they can just pay a fine and go home. It is corruption, you know?"

[Name removed] also agreed that the "bail" — about £4,000 — was never returned to Ingram and Xi. Thai law says bail should be refunded.

In a detailed statement the couple said they were first detained at an airport office of the tourist police and later taken to cells at a police station in an isolated modern building on the fringes of the airport.

[Name removed] confirmed that he met them in the cells on the morning of Sunday, April 26, and arranged the "bail". The police kept the couple's passports. [Name removed] then escorted Ingram and Xi to the Valentine Resort, a lurid pink motel a few hundred yards from the runways. They were to remain there for four days.

During that time, [Name removed] warned them not to tell anyone about their plight, especially the British embassy, lawyers, friends, family or the press.

However, on April 27 they sneaked out of the hotel and found their way to the embassy, where they met Kate Dufall, the pro-consul.

According to the couple, she told them the embassy could not interfere with the Thai legal system and put them in contact with Prachaya Vijitpokin, a lawyer.

Vijitpokin and a colleague, Kittamert Engchountada, of the Lawyers Association of Thailand, urged them to stay in the country to fight the case and have since assembled a dossier for potential prosecutions.

However, Ingram said the couple were so terrified by this stage that they decided to meet the demands for money, which they raised by bank transfers from Britain direct to [Name removed]'s account. The Sunday Times has copies of the transactions.

Ingram and Xi were put on a British Airways flight to London early on Friday, May 1, having received their passports with official documents from prosecutors and police stating that no charges were to be brought against them.

They have said they are willing to return to Thailand and testify to try to stop the extortion if the government will guarantee their safety.

That could become a priority for Thailand, which has suffered a series of blows to its tourist industry through economic and political upheaval.

Inquiries last week established that [Name removed] and his accomplices have continued preying on tourists who end up in police custody after being accused of theft from the airport duty-free shop. "I am just helping people," he explained. "I don't get paid to do this. All the embassies know me."

Officials at the Danish embassy confirmed that a Danish woman fell into [Name removed]'s hands about two weeks ago and was allowed to leave Thailand only after handing over more than £4,500.

When a Sunday Times journalist posing as a businessman in trouble contacted [Name removed] last week, the first thing he said was: "If it's a case, for example, of shoplifting at the airport duty-free then I can help. Bail is 100,000 baht (£1,800)." He later declined an interview, saying the Sri Lanka embassy — which employs him as an interpreter — had told him not to speak.

The Foreign Office said consular officials had offered to raise the case with the Thai authorities at the time but had been asked by the couple not to intervene.

A spokesman for King Power duty-free said the company had strict rules for evidence to be submitted to the police in shoplifting cases, but added: "We cannot control what happens after that."

End quote

[CeeGee]

It is now official that there is some problem at the airport, the latest e mail from the FCO on travel advice for Thailand reads

" You should also be careful to observe demarcation lines between shops and stalls, particularly in market areas and at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Taking items from one shop’s area to another is likely to be treated by shop staff as suspected theft. You may be arrested by the police and asked to pay a substantial fine and/or face imprisonment".

The fact that they have singled out the airport specifically rather than just leave it at market areas shows that there must be a lot more cases than have been reported on this forum.This is not someone who knows someone it happened to etc or a possibly inaccurate report in a newspaper, its the British Government's official advice! ! !

It should be King Power arrested for theft with the prices thay charge for "duty free"

.

Edited July 2, 2009 by CeeGee

[4.real]

I looked in King Power last time I was at the airport.

I saw no difference in prices to what I would pay anywhere in Bangkok.

i bought nothing and would not bother to look in their shops again

[cpofc]

The Kingdom of Illusions.

Sifting fact from fiction is becoming increasingly more difficult.

it is hard to believe this would go on in a large inernational airport with any great regularity, surely if there was any true substance to the systematic ripping off of tourists in this manner one of the big news services or investigative journalists would have made it front page news by now. How many times have I been in and out of there now, since it opened? Numerous. The only extortion I have experienced was the beer prices, but that's the same worldwide.

I am sure the KP Monoploy has its enemies within the country, which could account for 'propaganda'

I am willing to keep an open mind though.