Tourism Scams

[reallyok]

1) Hired a car on Samui at Cheong Mon.

When i took the car (leaving my passport) i brought it to their attention, that the fuel guage was only three quarter full. The man said thats ok, he would make a note for when i brought it back ! I brought it back with tank three quarter full. They said that i had to bring it back full, "like it was when i took it" the man was gone and a lady now in charge !

I had to fill the tank before i could get my passport back.

One lesson learned !

2) Hired a bungalow for 4 days on Samui. Almost immediately we found that the gas had run out. Called the owner who called the gas man who then charged me for a new gas bottle, when i refused to pay, he called the police who made me pay him.( the owner was nowhere to be seen) The day i left i saw the owner changing my full gas bottle with a probably near empty one from his house, almost as soon as i was leaving the entrance !

They just cannot help themselves can they ? How about making this a topic for all who have been scammed to report on.

[ukrules]

They just cannot help themselves can they ?

It looks that way, every possible chance to get one over on the tourist seems to be exploited.

I know that tank would have been empty by the time I checked out if this happened to me.

Edited September 19, 2009 by ukrules

[vreemd13]

Friendship for money, biggest scam I have ever noticed, can only happen with a smile and sweet words

Edited September 19, 2009 by vreemd13

[PattayaParent]

Hired a car. Pointed out to them that the front bumper was damaged.

The guy said he would make a note of it on the hire form.

Stupidly I dodn't ensure he did and later when I'd left the country the repair for the damage was charged to my credit card.

This was Alamo rentals at Heathrow, London.

[anothertorres]

not to rehash what has already been said a million times already here but... it really is a shame that these scams are so widely perpetrated. and it's not just on tourists. i know the price i'm gonna get at the nursery for 3 plants i WILL buy will be grossly over priced. so, installing an empty tank on a new rentee is just a little more sinister than an expat buying from the LOCAL nursery out in the sticks.

we're all in this together. and we love to take a bath!

[smokie36]

Its long been my practice to pay 400 baht for a taxi from the airport to sukhumvit tollway included.

Last month the taxi guy pulled off the tollway after the first toll (saving himself 45 baht).

On the return journey the driver went straight past the entrance on sukhumvit and when challenged by me claimed he was taking a shortcut! Even had the balls to ask for a tip on arrival!!

Never happened to me before on this route.

[Hawaiian]

Hired a car. Pointed out to them that the front bumper was damaged.

The guy said he would make a note of it on the hire form.

Stupidly I dodn't ensure he did and later when I'd left the country the repair for the damage was charged to my credit card.

This was Alamo rentals at Heathrow, London.

Alamo in Honolulu lets the customer check off any visible damages and gives him/her a copy of the form. Never had a problem with them.

[DP25]

Its long been my practice to pay 400 baht for a taxi from the airport to sukhumvit tollway included.

Last month the taxi guy pulled off the tollway after the first toll (saving himself 45 baht).

On the return journey the driver went straight past the entrance on sukhumvit and when challenged by me claimed he was taking a shortcut! Even had the balls to ask for a tip on arrival!!

Never happened to me before on this route.

If you're offering 400 baht for the ride instead of using the meter you're setting yourself up to be scammed because you look like a noob.

[Hawaiian]

My Thai wife rented a car in Bangkok and was told no need to fill the tank. I questioned her about that and she showed me the rental agreement. Sure enough.

No problem when we returned the vehicle 5 days later with a 1/4 tank. It seemed their main concern was that we might flee to another country with the car since they accepted only cash. No credit cards. Another new one for me.

[cdnvic]

1) Hired a car on Samui at Cheong Mon.

When i took the car (leaving my passport) i brought it to their attention, that the fuel guage was only three quarter full. The man said thats ok, he would make a note for when i brought it back ! I brought it back with tank three quarter full. They said that i had to bring it back full, "like it was when i took it" the man was gone and a lady now in charge !

I had to fill the tank before i could get my passport back.

One lesson learned !

2) Hired a bungalow for 4 days on Samui. Almost immediately we found that the gas had run out. Called the owner who called the gas man who then charged me for a new gas bottle, when i refused to pay, he called the police who made me pay him.( the owner was nowhere to be seen) The day i left i saw the owner changing my full gas bottle with a probably near empty one from his house, almost as soon as i was leaving the entrance !

They just cannot help themselves can they ? How about making this a topic for all who have been scammed to report on.

You're asking for trouble by leaving your passport. If a credit card imprint isn't enough for them, move on.

[onlycw]

Amazing Thailand! At 5;30 am a Songtaew stopped and I got on. There is only one route serving us, straight to the Don Mueang airport. But after 1 km, the driver turned. I rang the bell, handed him the fare and he asked where I want to go? I said train station and he turned around and stopped again after 300 meters, this time asking me to sit up front.

then he asked which street I wanted to go to? I was going to the U.S. embassy but didn't say Wireless Rd.

Expecting to pay for a private hire, that guy refused any payment. And he was clearly NOT the regular one and only service stopping where I got on.

Morale: often, folks are genuine and just friendly. 'Where you going?" This guy went out of his way to help an unknown farang, losing money in the process.

When I first came to LOS, I was always afraid of interacting with the locals, fearing scams and dark intentions when someone approached me or wanted to talk. I declained the welcome drink at hotels etc.

That tank game is played world wide. Once I put in Diesel 100 m and 3 minutes after renting a truck. Filled in about 20 liters and deducted that from the final price since the form said "full tank". But that was in Germany.

[simcity]

2) Hired a bungalow for 4 days on Samui. Almost immediately we found that the gas had run out. Called the owner who called the gas man who then charged me for a new gas bottle, when i refused to pay, he called the police who made me pay him.( the owner was nowhere to be seen) The day i left i saw the owner changing my full gas bottle with a probably near empty one from his house, almost as soon as i was leaving the entrance !

They just cannot help themselves can they ? How about making this a topic for all who have been scammed to report on.

Do you know, that happen to my brother / myself when the family rent a cottage in Bretagne France.

But before we left, we went to my cousin place and swap the one we bought few days before.

[p_brownstone]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Edited September 20, 2009 by cdnvic
warranted a TVQOTD stamp

[Garret]

A friend was in Bangkok and we all wanted to go to Pattaya. I wanted to just take a taxi but when the wife and I showed up to his hotel on the top of soi 4..he had paid and booked the three of us on a private hotel mini van....they drove us about 30 min and dropped us at the public bus terminal. I was so mad I was laughing. A real big I told you so aimed at my buddy.

I bought a Buddha necklace at MBK years ago and paid for a 3 baht weight of gold. Years later I learned that it was mostly fake.

I was shopping at the Pat Pong nightmarket and purchased two wooden statues. When I got them back to the states one of them was perpect the other had been swithched to one of sub standard quality.

All pretty harmless and over the years I have become pretty skeptical and pay closer attention to things......

I had some ninor body work done on my new fortuner then about 6 months later my battery died and it was found that it had been swapped with a older one.......

Pay Attention in Thailand . Most honest people just dont expect thing like this to happen so they can.

I still love this country and most of it's people.

[LivinLOS]

On the gaz one.. Having been here long enough now to have everything clear, prices upfront, all (or most) angles covered so getting stung these days is almost bittersweet.. sure it stings and winds me up, but its also an element of 'well done.. should have asked that' one upmanship..

Anyway I had the gaz bottle man come deliver to the house.. So he had sussed it was a farang house and next time he came he came dropped off a ratty old bottle.. I happened to take it back into town to his shop and he flat out wouldnt take it back.. Too rusted and old.. I then try 2 more shops all no go.. He denied ever bringing it to me !! fuc_ker swapped out some rotten one and passed it on.

I managed to pass it back to a shop when it was raining.. They didnt want to walk out in the rain and inspect it sitting in a puddle !!

[LivinLOS]

All pretty harmless and over the years I have become pretty skeptical and pay closer attention to things......

I had some ninor body work done on my new fortuner then about 6 months later my battery died and it was found that it had been swapped with a older one.......

Pay Attention in Thailand . Most honest people just dont expect thing like this to happen so they can.

I still love this country and most of it's people.

A battery ?? I'll see your battery and raise you a...

As posted at the time on another forum

No amount of lazy incompetant disorganised 'service with a smile' will ever surprise me in this country again.. And if an item has any safety aspect whatsoever then I can only advise to check check and triple check, all yourself, and never trust any shit eating grins or mai pen rai comments. Do not take anything as too stupid for them to do or too unbelievable for them to skip.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts I recently had my jeep all refurbed up.. Decided to take it round krabi and lanta and use it a bit more.. Had a great time touring about and today was returning from Ao Nang in Krabi.

Well one of the tasks that the mechanics did during the rebuild was to replace the windscreen.. So I am driving out in krabi, starting a leasurely return journey home planning to take all day. So me and her indoors are cruising along, about 50 - 60 mph or so and the winscreen just implodes !!! Now I have been in cars when the windscreen catches a high velocity stone and shatters but stays in place, this was nothing like that this was an almighty bang then flying shards of mental razor sharp glass !! I caught one in the cheek which sliced in but lucked out considering the possibilities. Spinner again luckily was 100% not a scratch. I had some minor nicks at scalp level and sliced my ankle stopping the car under control so blood started to flow. The jeep only has these convex mirrors so I was having a hard time assessing how injured I was, spinner FREAKs out, crying and wailing, looking at me like I am hanging apart, standard 3rd world brass panic reaction !! Not helping thanks love.. I have blood streaming down my face, on my shirt, in my mouth, spitting lots of foamy blood, I take my hand away from my cheek and it seems like a lot of blood (its not bad in truth) welling up out of this hole but the combo of accident, blood, and most of all not being able to know how bad I was hurt did give me the shakes and dry heaves for a second of two as I pulled my shit together.. Knowing your cut and bleeding (face especially) but unable to know how bad it is or what your reaction and course of action should be was the real kicker !!

Anyway it takes me a second but then I twig whats happened.. The ****ing mechanic muppet has put a piece of plate glass in as a replacement windscreen !!! For the last 1000 miles I have been sitting open eyed and facing a goddamn timebomb. When I consider the possible injuries, sliced face, lost eyes, jugular and other arteries etc it just boggles the mind. I mean hes a mechanic, he has to have known !! He must have just gone down the glass shop and asked for the cheapest bit of plate glass they had.. I will lay money on thats how it worked out !!! I assume he knew the danger that meant to me, as a child would know that whole issue.

Of course as I realize this, is at a time that heart is pumping, adrenalin was flushing through the system, and I was injured.. The thought of choking the little bastard for the risk he put me under was high on my 'things to do list' and I was having a bit of a rage reaction.. Now I have had some time to calm down I doubt I will do anything other than give him a firm verbal roasting but he deserves a cuff round the head in my book, of course the way Thais work is all no confrontation, no anger etc.. No wonder nothing gets solved or done !! Things like this just are another symptom of why Phuket Air dropped off the radar and are blacklisted all over, it will be ok, mai pen rai.

Anyway, we are out of the tourist zone somewhere between Karabi and Phang Nga, a Thai fella on a bike stops and says that the local doctor / medicine man is up the road but I didnt much fancy having it messed with and maybe sewn up by the local witch doctor in ****knowsaburi.. Considered turning back for Krabi hospital but thought sod it.. By the time I did that and messed around finding it I would be wasting the whole day and Phuket was only a couple of hours away.. So I clamped a rag to my face and drove (in the rain) back from krabi with no windscreen.. Quite an trek in a slow jeep with stinging rain and a cut face.

Once we get back on the island I made a wasted journey to the hospital.. The cut had closed and being a glass cut was very clean slice, so by keeping real firm pressure on it for the first hour it sealed pretty tight already and from what I could see had closed up all nice and pretty clean. I had sorted in my mind to just get some paper stiches (setures ??) to keep it closed and it would be fine. When I get to the hospital I explain all this to the first medic / nurse and his instant reaction is to open the wound and look how deep it is / assess it.. I understand this, but it had closed nice and clean and I didnt want him breaking it open and increasing the scar etc.. Despite me clearly saying not to reopen the wound in he kept coming in to do exactly that, over and over hes just smiling and reaching in with 2 hands to grab both sides and I even had to grab his hand as he was just going to do it while smiling and agreeing. Then had the same story with the doc attempting to open it and who wanted to real stitch it.. I debated this with him and had a close look myself in a mirror (at last) and decided against letting him local me and muck about. Doctors the world over dont like being debated or having thier opinion challenged as I guess it challenges thier authority but then you get a Thai for whom thats also a social no no and where most Thais just will agree anything the doctor says because hes the 'official' and he kinda got the **** with me and left. I guess he was thinking awkward bloody farangs always think they know better so all in all I paid a grand to argue with a doctor for 10 mins but I had some paper setures slapped on there and it fells nice and tight / closed now.. Just take care not to re open it for a few days and I am pretty sure I made the right call.. Not the first time I have had my boat race split and I somehow doubt it will be the last.

Still mad at the mechanic, still not sure how much I should let myself lose it when I give my safety education speech !!! Thais are great people for sanuk.. Great people for sabai time.. But some things they are worse than useless at !!

Anyone know a good car window fitter ??

[dumball]

If nothing else , great entertainment for a while , have any more good ones ? 555

[Rumfoord]

If nothing else , great entertainment for a while , have any more good ones ? 555

there is a link to the "Colon Cleansing Scams" thread under similar topics.

[welcome]

All pretty harmless and over the years I have become pretty skeptical and pay closer attention to things......

I had some ninor body work done on my new fortuner then about 6 months later my battery died and it was found that it had been swapped with a older one.......

Pay Attention in Thailand . Most honest people just dont expect thing like this to happen so they can.

I still love this country and most of it's people.

A battery ?? I'll see your battery and raise you a...

As posted at the time on another forum

No amount of lazy incompetant disorganised 'service with a smile' will ever surprise me in this country again.. And if an item has any safety aspect whatsoever then I can only advise to check check and triple check, all yourself, and never trust any shit eating grins or mai pen rai comments. Do not take anything as too stupid for them to do or too unbelievable for them to skip.

As I have mentioned in some of my posts I recently had my jeep all refurbed up.. Decided to take it round krabi and lanta and use it a bit more.. Had a great time touring about and today was returning from Ao Nang in Krabi.

Well one of the tasks that the mechanics did during the rebuild was to replace the windscreen.. So I am driving out in krabi, starting a leasurely return journey home planning to take all day. So me and her indoors are cruising along, about 50 - 60 mph or so and the winscreen just implodes !!! Now I have been in cars when the windscreen catches a high velocity stone and shatters but stays in place, this was nothing like that this was an almighty bang then flying shards of mental razor sharp glass !! I caught one in the cheek which sliced in but lucked out considering the possibilities. Spinner again luckily was 100% not a scratch. I had some minor nicks at scalp level and sliced my ankle stopping the car under control so blood started to flow. The jeep only has these convex mirrors so I was having a hard time assessing how injured I was, spinner FREAKs out, crying and wailing, looking at me like I am hanging apart, standard 3rd world brass panic reaction !! Not helping thanks love.. I have blood streaming down my face, on my shirt, in my mouth, spitting lots of foamy blood, I take my hand away from my cheek and it seems like a lot of blood (its not bad in truth) welling up out of this hole but the combo of accident, blood, and most of all not being able to know how bad I was hurt did give me the shakes and dry heaves for a second of two as I pulled my shit together.. Knowing your cut and bleeding (face especially) but unable to know how bad it is or what your reaction and course of action should be was the real kicker !!

Anyway it takes me a second but then I twig whats happened.. The ****ing mechanic muppet has put a piece of plate glass in as a replacement windscreen !!! For the last 1000 miles I have been sitting open eyed and facing a goddamn timebomb. When I consider the possible injuries, sliced face, lost eyes, jugular and other arteries etc it just boggles the mind. I mean hes a mechanic, he has to have known !! He must have just gone down the glass shop and asked for the cheapest bit of plate glass they had.. I will lay money on thats how it worked out !!! I assume he knew the danger that meant to me, as a child would know that whole issue.

Of course as I realize this, is at a time that heart is pumping, adrenalin was flushing through the system, and I was injured.. The thought of choking the little bastard for the risk he put me under was high on my 'things to do list' and I was having a bit of a rage reaction.. Now I have had some time to calm down I doubt I will do anything other than give him a firm verbal roasting but he deserves a cuff round the head in my book, of course the way Thais work is all no confrontation, no anger etc.. No wonder nothing gets solved or done !! Things like this just are another symptom of why Phuket Air dropped off the radar and are blacklisted all over, it will be ok, mai pen rai.

Anyway, we are out of the tourist zone somewhere between Karabi and Phang Nga, a Thai fella on a bike stops and says that the local doctor / medicine man is up the road but I didnt much fancy having it messed with and maybe sewn up by the local witch doctor in ****knowsaburi.. Considered turning back for Krabi hospital but thought sod it.. By the time I did that and messed around finding it I would be wasting the whole day and Phuket was only a couple of hours away.. So I clamped a rag to my face and drove (in the rain) back from krabi with no windscreen.. Quite an trek in a slow jeep with stinging rain and a cut face.

Once we get back on the island I made a wasted journey to the hospital.. The cut had closed and being a glass cut was very clean slice, so by keeping real firm pressure on it for the first hour it sealed pretty tight already and from what I could see had closed up all nice and pretty clean. I had sorted in my mind to just get some paper stiches (setures ??) to keep it closed and it would be fine. When I get to the hospital I explain all this to the first medic / nurse and his instant reaction is to open the wound and look how deep it is / assess it.. I understand this, but it had closed nice and clean and I didnt want him breaking it open and increasing the scar etc.. Despite me clearly saying not to reopen the wound in he kept coming in to do exactly that, over and over hes just smiling and reaching in with 2 hands to grab both sides and I even had to grab his hand as he was just going to do it while smiling and agreeing. Then had the same story with the doc attempting to open it and who wanted to real stitch it.. I debated this with him and had a close look myself in a mirror (at last) and decided against letting him local me and muck about. Doctors the world over dont like being debated or having thier opinion challenged as I guess it challenges thier authority but then you get a Thai for whom thats also a social no no and where most Thais just will agree anything the doctor says because hes the 'official' and he kinda got the **** with me and left. I guess he was thinking awkward bloody farangs always think they know better so all in all I paid a grand to argue with a doctor for 10 mins but I had some paper setures slapped on there and it fells nice and tight / closed now.. Just take care not to re open it for a few days and I am pretty sure I made the right call.. Not the first time I have had my boat race split and I somehow doubt it will be the last.

Still mad at the mechanic, still not sure how much I should let myself lose it when I give my safety education speech !!! Thais are great people for sanuk.. Great people for sabai time.. But some things they are worse than useless at !!

Anyone know a good car window fitter ??

incompetance is not a scam .

is there any othe reason to visit los other than its party atmosphere?

Edited September 20, 2009 by welcome

[reallyok]

They just cannot help themselves can they ?

It looks that way, every possible chance to get one over on the tourist seems to be exploited.

I know that tank would have been empty by the time I checked out if this happened to me.

Yes mate, like i said "lesson learned"..................If it happens again i will definately empty the gas bottle before i leave

[reallyok]

1) Hired a car on Samui at Cheong Mon.

When i took the car (leaving my passport) i brought it to their attention, that the fuel guage was only three quarter full. The man said thats ok, he would make a note for when i brought it back ! I brought it back with tank three quarter full. They said that i had to bring it back full, "like it was when i took it" the man was gone and a lady now in charge !

I had to fill the tank before i could get my passport back.

One lesson learned !

2) Hired a bungalow for 4 days on Samui. Almost immediately we found that the gas had run out. Called the owner who called the gas man who then charged me for a new gas bottle, when i refused to pay, he called the police who made me pay him.( the owner was nowhere to be seen) The day i left i saw the owner changing my full gas bottle with a probably near empty one from his house, almost as soon as i was leaving the entrance !

They just cannot help themselves can they ? How about making this a topic for all who have been scammed to report on.

You're asking for trouble by leaving your passport. If a credit card imprint isn't enough for them, move on.

Yes i know, it makes me "shudder" to think about it. However it was my first visit, i have been 6 times since and wo'nt even consider letting my P/P out of my sight.

[reallyok]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Fair enough Patrick, but your turn will come one day, then see how it feels.

And i hope it comes sooner rather than later.

[p_brownstone]

Come on guys!

I am not the "I love Thailand and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it" type; yes there are Scams here, but many of them can be avoided by using a bit of common sense.

Surely anyone who hires a car with known damage, or with a tank not completely full, without getting the situation fully documented is asking for trouble any anywhere in the world.

These cases are not Scams, you made an elementary mistake and simply want to find someone else to blame.

Patrick

Fair enough Patrick, but your turn will come one day, then see how it feels.

And i hope it comes sooner rather than later.

Been here over 30 years.

Perhaps I just don't get out of the house much?

Patrick

[oops]

Hired a car. Pointed out to them that the front bumper was damaged.

The guy said he would make a note of it on the hire form.

Stupidly I dodn't ensure he did and later when I'd left the country the repair for the damage was charged to my credit card.

This was Alamo rentals at Heathrow, London.

Arman Jordan  rented a car there and stupid me I had my video cam corder in hand when I looked over the car I noticed damage.  Knowing that in this country they can seem over bearing when in a dispute I decided with my wife to start filming the whole car.   I had my wife touch every part of the car when we came across the back quarter panel where the screws had been  removed so it just dangled in the wind.   Obviously the owner told us no problem I will write it down.  NO pin in hand or any paperwork I felt less stupid about filming the car

Upon returning the car back to the  owner, without thinking he walked us around the car in which I have to tell you i thought it was really funny that he didn't remember us.  He went straight for the fender and asked us what happened...?   I played into this knowing I had my video cam corder with me and on again.  This time without him knowing it.    He asked what I did to the car and his face turned from a smile to almost an look of anger.   I them told him he said he would write it down and asked if he remembered.  He said NO.  I could see where this was going so I decided to pull out my camera and say you really don't remember following me around the car filming it....he quickly goes oh oh oh yeh yeh then said something in Arabic and chuckled and smiled said never mind get out of here...We used a credit card that was no good for the deposit and paid cash upon coming back.    I had been scammed before over a refrigerator and swore it would never happen again because they had the nerve to take me to court where the judge goes..you have any pictures or proof....." AHH No"   case closed pay them!.   So now I use a cam corder

[lordsux]

I have observed how new recruits in the police force are trained in the art of extorting the foreigner. Almost every night on the road heading out to Ratchada there is a police checkpoint. Fair enough, the BIB stop both locals and foreigners but I have have never seen a local handing over any cash. However, I have seen many a foreigner having to pay for one thing or another though. Not once is a receipt issued.

Here's just one example of this scam I witnessed:

Two Thai chicks and a young male tourist get their taxi stopped. Police check the taxi and occupants for drugs. Nothing apparently found. Police take the girls aside and have a little chat with them. It seems that the foreigner has done something wrong. Maybe he doesn't have his passport on him?, but he has money and the BIB know this because the girls have told them and are now in on the scam. (I have seen these 2 girls stopped at this checkpoint on several occasions) Anyway, to cut it short. - The officer must go and check with his superior, the officer returns a few minutes later and informs the foreigner how much he must pay. I don't think that it was 5 x 100 baht notes he had to part with. The officer handed one of the notes over to one of the girls in full view of the foreigner which I found a bit strange. Needless to say the guy didn't get a receipt.

I have witnessed this scamming of foreigners so many times. It's not a small scale scam either. It sometimes involves up to 20 police officers and they are stopping and searching 3 taxis at a time.

[ballpoint]

...I have seen these 2 girls stopped at this checkpoint on several occasions

Oh yeah, I've seen those girls too, the short ones with the black hair. Very memorable, they really stand out in the crowd.

...the officer returns a few minutes later and informs the foreigner how much he must pay...

...I have witnessed this scamming of foreigners so many times.

May I ask why you happen to be watching check points on Ratchada, for at least a "few minutes" "so many times"? Are you regularly stuck at these checkpoints too? I don't think so, otherwise you would have said, but if you are I'd suggest another route home. And why weren't you scammed too? Yes, scams take place in Thailand, and everywhere else in the world. There's no need to embellish the facts to prove something we all know happens.

[troy]

Fair enough Patrick, but your turn will come one day, then see how it feels.

And i hope it comes sooner rather than later.

You wish a stranger bad luck just so you can be proven right on an internet forum?

That takes a mighty small man.

[lordsux]

My condo balcony gave me a pretty clear view of the almost nightly episodes.

[lordsux]

Btw 'ballpoint' This is not just normal scamming, this is organized crime. No doubt if I posted the video of the earlier described episode you would start shouting "staged, fake bla bla bla".

[klausss]

...I have seen these 2 girls stopped at this checkpoint on several occasions

Oh yeah, I've seen those girls too, the short ones with the black hair. Very memorable, they really stand out in the crowd.

...the officer returns a few minutes later and informs the foreigner how much he must pay...

...I have witnessed this scamming of foreigners so many times.

May I ask why you happen to be watching check points on Ratchada, for at least a "few minutes" "so many times"? Are you regularly stuck at these checkpoints too? I don't think so, otherwise you would have said, but if you are I'd suggest another route home. And why weren't you scammed too? Yes, scams take place in Thailand, and everywhere else in the world. There's no need to embellish the facts to prove something we all know happens.

regarding these 2 girls. they got to be real funky thinkers to go thru all this trouble for 100 baht. if they have all these men they might as well go do the deed, it pays much better.

sounds lie a troll report.