Drugged And Mugged In Bangkok

[laphroaig]

I just read this thread and it brought back some memory I had from a visit about 18 months ago. I was walking Sukhumvit around 8 am, just getting some exercise and a guy walking in the other direction made some comment about my shoes, I guess to provoke a conversation. I stopped and talked to him and he asked where I came from. I told him New Zealand and at this stage i got the line that his sister was due to come to Wellington as a Nurse. The twist to this is that my own daughter is a Nurse so I had some experience and something in common with the guy. (At this stage I had no real reason to think anyting was amiss.) He also knew a fair bit about Wellington and New Zealand.

Anyway, we chatted a while and the line was that his mother was very worried about her going to Wellington and would I be prepared to meet with her and tell her something of New Zealand. I said I would be happy to do so and suggested a local cafe at another time to meet with Mum and sister. The line went that Mum was not too fit and that would make things awkward.

Anyway, he flagged down a taxi and I guess my defences were down and I got in although at this stage I thought we were going to a cafe (language difficulty). In the taxi my intuition got the better of me and I said I was uncomfortable going anywhere as I did not know the guy. He took umbridge and said he was insulted and was a good business man and well respected. I told the taxi driver to pull over and he did so. The guy asked me to trust him and i said I would be more than happy to meet with Mum and sister in a cafe of my choice later if he wanted to but that did not get off the ground.

He paid the taxi driver and we both got out. he went one way and i went the other

Narrow escape i guess.

I am not usually taken in by such things however the circumstances of may own daughter being in nursing, his apparent sincerity and substance behind the story coupled with my weak defences put me at risk.

I always wondered what would have been at the end. I assumed a mugging or robbery was coming but now I guess I was almost subject to the same scam as others.

Edited August 2, 2009 by laphroaig

[sassienie]

What a load of <deleted>. This crap only happens in movies...and dcikhead's imaginations

Totally agree.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this load of old cobblers.

[SMEEERE]

How is it some of these posters manage to survive in their own countries long enough to make the trip over here is beyond me..

Really, i know of some mormon kids from provo utah that have more street smarts then these guys..... Im gonna start asking tourists if i can "see" their atm cards,, the thais arent the only ones that should have acess to such easy money

I suppose some are from nice areas, shame on them,

[TopDogger]

What a load of <deleted>. This crap only happens in movies...and dcikhead's imaginations

Totally agree.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this load of old cobblers.

You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports off people being drugged and robbed in that area alone.

[SMEEERE]

I just read this thread and it brought back some memory I had from a visit about 18 months ago. I was walking Sukhumvit around 8 am, just getting some exercise and a guy walking in the other direction made some comment about my shoes, I guess to provoke a conversation. I stopped and talked to him and he asked where I came from. I told him New Zealand and at this stage i got the line that his sister was due to come to Wellington as a Nurse. The twist to this is that my own daughter is a Nurse so I had some experience and something in common with the guy. (At this stage I had no real reason to think anyting was amiss.) He also knew a fair bit about Wellington and New Zealand.

Anyway, we chatted a while and the line was that his mother was very worried about her going to Wellington and would I be prepared to meet with her and tell her something of New Zealand. I said I would be happy to do so and suggested a local cafe at another time to meet with Mum and sister. The line went that Mum was not too fit and that would make things awkward.

Anyway, he flagged down a taxi and I guess my defences were down and I got in although at this stage I thought we were going to a cafe (language difficulty). In the taxi my intuition got the better of me and I said I was uncomfortable going anywhere as I did not know the guy. He took umbridge and said he was insulted and was a good business man and well respected. I told the taxi driver to pull over and he did so. The guy asked me to trust him and i said I would be more than happy to meet with Mum and sister in a cafe of my choice later if he wanted to but that did not get off the ground.

He paid the taxi driver and we both got out. he went one way and i went the other

Narrow escape i guess.

I am not usually taken in by such things however the circumstances of may own daughter being in nursing, his apparent sincerity and substance behind the story coupled with my weak defences put me at risk.

I always wondered what would have been at the end. I assumed a mugging or robbery was coming but now I guess I was almost subject to the same scam as others.

Goes to prove ,if you have a gut feeling go with it, some have it some dont, i dont mock it, its one of those things the smart asses all have !

[Gary A]

This old story has been around for many years. I think it originated in the Philippines. The bottom line is that anyone who falls for this scam shouldn't be permitted to leave home without some adult supervision.

[SMEEERE]

I am a licensed medical professional who regularly uses anaesthetics and can assure you there is no drug on earth that can: 1) leave you awake enough to walk and sign your name *and* 2) willingly do things you would not normally do. Research pharmacologists have been studying this for decades. GHB (gamma-hydroxy butyrate or the "date rape drug") as well as rohypnol or other benzodiazepines leave you lightly to heavily sedated so you cannot resist an attack. But ... you certainly could/would not walk and legibly sign credit card receipts against your better judgement.

You can check this out with a licensed pharmacist or your doctor.

This story is full of other holes as well.

What really bothers me is the way authors such as this one malign entire populations of people by identifying a person of a particular nationality as being the bad guy, most of whom are upstanding good hearted people. For me this is a form of calculated bigotry. Be more skeptical, check out purported facts (the internet folks!), and most of all, please don't encourage it!

You are pro in medical science.I am not,but it happened to me.Nobody explained what.May be you will do?

It happened long time ago - KaoSan Rd

I arrived on tuktuk,street was empty,on the other side - another tuktuk and 2 Thai guys.One of them started to talk something to me walking in my direction.

I wanted to pay for ride - I had my purse in hand.

The next thing I remembered - my tuktuk driving away,driver with scared face;the other tuktuk going away with 2 Thai guys.

I am alone.I do not have my purse!I lost 200B only.I thought - I had some delusion.

Three days later - I saw same 2 Thai guys in the same location - they run away seeing me.

So? what did they use?

I made some researches and I know what.Not for public knowledge - but not very big secret.

I am no pro in medical science,

But i do know of one legal drug that can do this.

It's called alcohol

Yes weve over looked that, maybe the guy was pissed as well !

[dbrenn]

What´s so funny? Are all tourists and new comers expected to behave like thai experts on everything? Laughing at others misfortune and pretending to know it all just show how cynical and sad some people really are.

No need to be a Thai expert, just a little common sense is required.

Some people really should stay at home. Even as a green 23 year old on my first trip to Thailand, I kept in mind what my mother used to tell me as a child: Never go antwhere with strangers. Adults should keep this in mind too - almost every scam in Thailand has two things in common:

1) An overly friendly stranger offers to take you somewhere

2) An offer that is too good to be true

[geriatrickid]

Was I the only one who had a mum that said don't take candy from strangers and never ever get in a car with one............

[mca]

Running into some of the western basket cases you meet in Thailand it does beg the question as to how they actually manages to secure the straps on their suitcase in their house let alone find their way to the airport, pass through check in, get on the correct plane and pass through Thai immigration upon arrival.

[sanook2me]

I'm surprised that some OP think this bad experience has to be a made-up tale. Overly defensive of LOS' good reputation? Forty years in SE Asia has brought me often times in unwanted and unsought contact with conmen. Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, even Australia! The story about a relative going soon to study/work in my country and could I please spare some time and give needed advice has been played on me a few times. Fortunately I have some good basic common sense and never fell for a con like this poor guy did. I've found out too that if you listen a couple minutes to those con guys they will pile up so much BS trying to reel you in that they quickly become ridiculously unbelievable.

Bingo!

pile up so much BS trying to reel you in that they quickly become ridiculously unbelievable.

The more complicated and extra bits tagged onto any story usually means BS.

[Jonathanpattaya]

Drugged and mugged in Bangkok

On the morning of July 7 I left my hotel in Sukhumvit Road to walk into central Bangkok. A young woman of perhaps 30 and a Filipino man of about 50 approached me in a friendly manner. Finding I was English, the man said that his sister was coming to London to work as a hospital nurse.

As she was apprehensive about living in Britain, he asked if I would come to his home to reassure her. I said I would be happy to help as, by coincidence, my grandson was also a nurse in London.

He called a taxi and after 15 minutes we arrived at an attractive bungalow set in a garden. I accepted a soft drink and the sister came and sat beside me. I spoke to her about nursing in London and she listened politely.

Then the man asked me to come into another room, where he produced a pack of cards and said he would educate me in the secrets of card play.

By this time I seemed to be floating in a dreamlike place. I started giggling, which annoyed the man. He asked to see my wallet and roughly went through it. Other people came and went. We played cards but I had no idea what I was doing. He then took my camera and put it in a cupboard. I was incapable of saying or doing anything.

Finally, I was told to get into a taxi and taken to a modern shopping complex by the man and his "nurse" sister. I was told to hand my bank card to a shop assistant. I remember signing the till printouts and seeing the man and his sister head off with shopping bags. The taxi driver then took me back to my hotel.

It was not until I reached my room that my brain seemed to clear and the enormity of what I had done dawned on me. It was clear I had been drugged. I phoned my bank to cancel my debit card but three transactions totalling £2,550 had already been cleared and the money taken from my account.

The following morning the Filipino man rang my hotel room and made it clear that I should tell nobody. He said if I told the police then we would both go to a Thai jail (I had already informed the police and the British embassy). Fortunately, I did not hear from him again.

It was such a frightening experience that I want to warn other travellers to Bangkok. I will not be able to recover any of the £2,550 because I had voluntarily signed for the sums being taken from my account.

Name and address supplied

Gill Charlton replies

Bangkok is known for its sophisticated ways of parting tourists from their money and this appears a particularly elaborate swindle.

Beware people who befriend you on the street and ask favours or offer taxi tours. As this male senior citizen discovered, it can prove a life-threatening encounter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/columnis...in-Bangkok.html

What an absolutely rediculous story!

[borovik]

Was I the only one who had a mum that said don't take candy from strangers and never ever get in a car with one............

So,why?oh why? all present in this forum including myself -go to sleazy bars,pick up some fluzzy-perfect stranger and bring her home to indulge in great deal of intimacy for the rest of the night?Did not your mamma tell you many times not to do it?Why you not listen?

[beerchang]

"Can I pet the wabbit George? Ooh look a pwetty girl and a strange man want me to get in a taxi and go somewhere. Me not like wabbits no more!"

[Birdman]

I'm there for ya dude! But hey, did you get that last posters question on how after being pick-pocketed, he asked , 'how' !!!! OMG! The usual run of things is when you've been pick-pocketed, the money etc comes from your pocket! Some real...oh...sorry...I have to respect all members of TV. Despite how frickin' stupid they might be!!! (Disclaimer: Not calling any particular individual stupid, nor every member or otherwise on here). Respect to all.

Yes i saw that also.

i suppose there could be variations on pickpocketing. say a fishing line from a multi storey building.

It is so good to be back home, noodle soup before sleep i think.

hey, you are not talking about me?

because I meant how can one possible be that careless...to walk around without keeping that 20.000 safe. E.g. in a front pocket of the trousers with hand inside. ...or...!

I have been at many really crowded places from Naples to Manila over many years. Never happened to me.

[beerchang]

I'm there for ya dude! But hey, did you get that last posters question on how after being pick-pocketed, he asked , 'how' !!!! OMG! The usual run of things is when you've been pick-pocketed, the money etc comes from your pocket! Some real...oh...sorry...I have to respect all members of TV. Despite how frickin' stupid they might be!!! (Disclaimer: Not calling any particular individual stupid, nor every member or otherwise on here). Respect to all.

Yes i saw that also.

i suppose there could be variations on pickpocketing. say a fishing line from a multi storey building.

It is so good to be back home, noodle soup before sleep i think.

hey, you are not talking about me?

because I meant how can one possible be that careless...to walk around without keeping that 20.000 safe. E.g. in a front pocket of the trousers with hand inside. ...or...!

I have been at many really crowded places from Naples to Manila over many years. Never happened to me.

Misinterpretation on my part dude...apologies. But it was pretty funny. (No disclaimer required!)

[kurnell]

What a load of <deleted>. This crap only happens in movies...and dcikhead's imaginations

Totally agree.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this load of old cobblers.

You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports off people being drugged and robbed in that area alone.

So you've been there and done that have you? The station is full of farangs with drug stories eh? Funny how in the 15 years I've spent living in Thailand, meeting literally thousands of people I have never heard a verified report of anything close to the events on this thread happening. Through work and Chamber commitments (2 chambers), through mates that worked at the NZ, Australian, British and US Embassies, travel agents, a good friend at Thonglor police station and more, you would think that I would have come across at least one drugging! Not a bean.

So who is the clown here and what are you basing your comments on? Put you money where your mouth is come up with proof, rather than crap bar stories.

[beerchang]

What a load of <deleted>. This crap only happens in movies...and dcikhead's imaginations

Totally agree.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this load of old cobblers.

You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports off people being drugged and robbed in that area alone.

So you've been there and done that have you? The station is full of farangs with drug stories eh? Funny how in the 15 years I've spent living in Thailand, meeting literally thousands of people I have never heard a verified report of anything close to the events on this thread happening. Through work and Chamber commitments (2 chambers), through mates that worked at the NZ, Australian, British and US Embassies, travel agents, a good friend at Thonglor police station and more, you would think that I would have come across at least one drugging! Not a bean.

So who is the clown here and what are you basing your comments on? Put you money where your mouth is come up with proof, rather than crap bar stories.

Chill kurnell and read his post again.

'You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports....etc etc etc'

Yaaaaawn! Who needs to get out more? This dude openly admits he hangs around Lumphini police station to witness these daily occurances. Maybe he should get out (of the police station!) more eh?

Story's Bullsh*t anyway. You read the whole thread?

[Tod Daniels]

I've had the chance to spend quite a lot of time at Lumpini Station this last year, as I have thai friends who work there. I will say, I have heard several reports of people (mostly older male sex tourists ) who take a ‘time share’ girl from the street, go back to their room, open a beer, go to take a shower and when they come out, finish their beer (which they stupidly left open and unattended ). They usually say they woke up in the morning with their apartment, condo, what ever ransacked with their cash, laptop, ATM cards, wallets all missing. However I have never seen nor even heard about a single verified case where a "valid tourist" got drugged and was stolen from in the manner of the O/P's story.

I’ve seen and heard a plethora of typical run of the mill reports; miscellaneous theft, purse snatchings, wallets and/or cash pick pocketed, lost passports, ATM cards, etc. In reality other than the miscreants I mentioned earlier, I have witnessed very few of the "I've been drugged/mugged" contingent which another posters alleges reports in to Lumpini Station on a daily basis. Perhaps I am not as observant as I should be , or perhaps I am not there at the right time of day/nite, but sorry to burst the bubble of paranoia you seem to live in, I just haven't seen it.

In fact, most of the people who come thru Lumpini Station are there due to circumstances of their own making. Whether it is due to extremely poor choices they made, that they didn't use basic common sense, and/or just that they were under the misunderstanding that coming from a first world country gives them some special privileges here in the "Land 'O Thais" to run amok and not suffer the consequences (just an FYI; country of origin does not give you special privileges here, sorry ).

I always warn people vacationing here; if ANYONE approaches them and speaks english first, no matter that persons race, creed or color, it is in all probability and likelihood a scam. This being thailand (last time I checked anyway), pulling anything resembling semi-cohesive engrish out of the native inhabitants is difficult in the best of times and down right impossible in the worst of them. I have rarely met a nationality of people more reticent to speak even basic english. Warning bells should immediately go off if you are approached by someone, and if engrish is the first language out of their mouth

I have found on a whole; if you keep your wits about you, if you exhibit basic common sense, along with common courtesy, and if you have even half a clue (I don't feel a full clue is necessary ), you'll come out way ahead in the 'scams' which unfortunately do occur here. With that being said, I don’t believe they occur here more or less than other countries.

Sorry, this one sounds like another “Urban Legend” type story to me. ..

[Ulysses G.]

I have rarely met a nationality of people more reticent to speak even basic english.

Try Japan some time!

[britmaveric]

^China as well.

[jimbo38]

I had the same approach one day while resting near Siam. The guy claimed to be a professor of English. He spoke English so poorly that I couldn't possibly believe him. He said that his sister was going to be a Nurse in Phoenix, after he found out where I was from. He wanted me to go and talk to his sister about Phoenix. I, politely, refused to go, saying that I had an appointment soon.

Don't go anywhere with strangers!!!! Your mother probably told you that as a child and it is just as good advice here as an adult.

And this is a "Buddhist" country. Riiiggghhtt!!!!!

Poverty is a terrible and totally unnecessary thing, but there are millions of people in Thailand who are dirt poor, living from day to day wondering where their next meal will come from. Still, they are absolutely honest and decent people who willingly go out of their way to help others AND refuse to take any payment!!!!! THESE people are the true, real

"Buddhists" You have to love them. The corrupt, ripoffs, on the other hand, are something else entirely.

Land of contrasts, indeed.

[losworld]

Seems somewhat believable until the guy is rifling through his wallet with no objections. And if he was this drugged I don't think he'd be able to walk around a mall without attracting some attention. I think he should have added "they put me in a wheelchair and took me to the mall" to make things more believable.

[Tingnongnoi]

think its pretty common knowledge about the card scam and has been going on for years, ive been in the Tourist police head quarters before when someone was making a report after getting scammed. What is unbelievable is the drugged part and the signing of credit card receipts, sounds like that part was made up to make them not look so stupid in falling for the original scam.

[TopDogger]

What a load of <deleted>. This crap only happens in movies...and dcikhead's imaginations

Totally agree.

I wasted 5 minutes of my life reading this load of old cobblers.

You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports off people being drugged and robbed in that area alone.

So you've been there and done that have you? The station is full of farangs with drug stories eh? Funny how in the 15 years I've spent living in Thailand, meeting literally thousands of people I have never heard a verified report of anything close to the events on this thread happening. Through work and Chamber commitments (2 chambers), through mates that worked at the NZ, Australian, British and US Embassies, travel agents, a good friend at Thonglor police station and more, you would think that I would have come across at least one drugging! Not a bean.

So who is the clown here and what are you basing your comments on? Put you money where your mouth is come up with proof, rather than crap bar stories.

Yeah, this doesn't go on in Thailand at all.. And if it did, theres no way it could happen in a small backwater village such as Bangkok! They openly sell the drugs to do it up at the Myanmar boarder, these drugs even have their own Thai nicknames. But yeah, it's all fairy tales and never actually happens.....

Wasn't there a very high profile case of a cop being drugged by a ladyboy who ended up having a heart attack not so long back? That must all have been a fairy tale also if your friend at Thong Lor police never told u about it....

[TopDogger]

Chill kurnell and read his post again.

'You 2 clowns ought to get out more, go into Lumpini police station and you'll find out that there are daily reports....etc etc etc'

Yaaaaawn! Who needs to get out more? This dude openly admits he hangs around Lumphini police station to witness these daily occurances. Maybe he should get out (of the police station!) more eh?

Story's Bullsh*t anyway. You read the whole thread?

Maybe it was a slight exaggeration of some 2nd hand information .. The fact is, that it does happen.

[sas888]

I have heard about this MO happening in other Asian countries, such as the PI and HK

[mahtin]

I have heard about this MO happening in other Asian countries, such as the PI and HK

Bet your nick isn't referring to the airline, nudge nudge.

Were we ever on adjacent barstools, I wonder...

PS welcome etc.

Edited August 3, 2009 by mahtin

[JRinger]

I have rarely met a nationality of people more reticent to speak even basic english.

Try Japan some time!

Or South Korea, France, etc.

[Harcourt]

I don't believe the story either. There is a common thread though with the "my sister is a nurse in (your country).

To be fair, western science/medicine does not have all the answers.

It was only about 3 or 4 decades ago that science discovered that voodoo priests did have a concoction that, when administered to the victim made them catatonic and lowered the heart rate so much that the victim appeared to be dead. After the funeral, the priest would exhume the body, revive it, and have a drugged slave at his call...the zombie.

The scientists confirmed that there are potent neurotoxins in the concoction.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that a poultice exists that has psychotropic or hypnotic effects.