Pattaya Jet Ski Scammers Emboldened

[oldsailor35]

I have in the past hired many cars in Thailand, and before leaving the yard take pictures of the front back and both sides

I make sure the company rep knows I have done this

In my 10 years of doing this not once has my car been checked when I return, yet to other I talk to who have hired from the same yard have found damage on their return and had to pay a waiver fee

I also use my own GPS in the car when driving and it records the highest speed in the last 15 mins

The wife explains this at all Police stops and I see them grumble under their breath and say "Okay Move on"

Maybe a water proof bag and a basic camera will stop these scams on the spot

Once a Thai scammer had an argument with my Thai Wife

Saying she was bad Thai

She should look after Thai as she is Thai

and Farlang can afford to pay

Sadly my Thai wife believe my money is her money

and no way will she part with what belong to her

Every time i have hired a car from a reputable company, they produce a chart of the car and with a quick 'walk around' with the company rep., one is able to clearly mark the chart indicating any damage present. The same proceedure on return either clears one of damage or shows new damage..................easy!

And if it is your word against theirs who is going to assist you ?

Obviously you do not understand. You both sign and date the chart. Now is that easy for you.

[oldsailor35]

I have never hired a Jet Ski, but can anybody tell me, in light of the suggestion that one could just take off around the headland and never return.

Do the hirers not demand some kind of a significant deposit or security ?

[blackthorn2005]

I personally had no problems with jetski operators in hua hin recently, would go back nay time again. in fact got a 300 bht reduction and an extra 10 mins on the ski at the end of the day at sundown , brilliant guys operating the skis here, Pattaya maybe has a lot to learn. If you want customers to come back, be fair to them!!!

Don't know what its like in Patong Beach, Phuket, now, but I was there (my first visit to Thailand) in September 2006 and had no problems the several times I took out a jet-ski.. standard price and I got advice where to stick to, how to drive, how fast to go etc.. and NO SCAMMING!!!

Sadly, the scammers don't want you to come back unless its to be scammed again!! Their 'big big bahts for one scam' plan ensures they don't need your custom again, thank you very much Mr farang!!! - personally I don't bother with hiring things out any more, because of all these bad reports - they AREN'T going to get money by scamming from me, I'm not naive enough to trust the Thai police to get involved (on MY behalf!!) in such cases, so best stay clear and not get in that potential situation, I think...

You were lucky in 2006, I have lived here since 2005 and these problems were definitely happening then. Now it is even worse, I have never hired a jet ski and I never will. I spend a lot of time on the beach and I am sickened by what I see, scamming and tourists being threatened by gangs of operators, I have also seen the tourists being beaten by these low life, thieving scum. It is use involving the Kathu police, they are in on the racket, the more a tourist gets scammed, the bigger the cut for the police, so forget mediation. Unfortunately for some reason, the Tourist Police are not allowed to get involved. I hope the embassies can apply some pressure to the government, otherwise TAT is wasting millions of Baht promoting Thailand. Bad news spreads a lot quicker by word of mouth.

[saintofsilence]

I have in the past hired many cars in Thailand, and before leaving the yard take pictures of the front back and both sides

I make sure the company rep knows I have done this

In my 10 years of doing this not once has my car been checked when I return, yet to other I talk to who have hired from the same yard have found damage on their return and had to pay a waiver fee

I also use my own GPS in the car when driving and it records the highest speed in the last 15 mins

The wife explains this at all Police stops and I see them grumble under their breath and say "Okay Move on"

Maybe a water proof bag and a basic camera will stop these scams on the spot

Once a Thai scammer had an argument with my Thai Wife

Saying she was bad Thai

She should look after Thai as she is Thai

and Farlang can afford to pay

Sadly my Thai wife believe my money is her money

and no way will she part with what belong to her

Every time i have hired a car from a reputable company, they produce a chart of the car and with a quick 'walk around' with the company rep., one is able to clearly mark the chart indicating any damage present. The same proceedure on return either clears one of damage or shows new damage..................easy!

And if it is your word against theirs who is going to assist you ?

Obviously you do not understand. You both sign and date the chart. Now is that easy for you.

That is easy to say every one is asking for some sort of control over these scammers and if that plan was implemented and it did work it only fixes part of problem , accidents do happen and some times paint comes off this is when they bring in their mafia tactics of charging 50 or 60 thousand baht for a 2or 3 thousand baht damage.

If you have been reading all these posts you will understand that the police wont help the tourist.

Edited February 1, 2011 by saintofsilence

[Jingthing]

Why are people so resentful at this particular illegal activity?

People go to Pattaya for what? No need to spell it out, we all know and it is illegal, isn't it?

A case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

Like the drug addict complaining that his dealer isn't law-abiding.

if the police did their job in Pattaya, you wouldn't want to go there.

First of all, people come to and live in Pattaya for diverse reasons. Some of them even want to ride jetskis!

Second of all, don't be coy, prostitution is illegal but when it is free will agreement between a buyer and seller, it is a victimless crime.

Scamming people out of large sums of money in an organized crime scheme often with the collusion of local officials, is a crime with real victims. The victims certainly didn't consent to be robbed blind.

I suppose next you are going to say that people who come to Pattaya are consenting to be murdered ...

Edited February 1, 2011 by Jingthing

[bangon04]

When will the tourist learn? Bar fine a girl from the coconut bar and have her go with you to the jet ski scam artist. They won't try to jack you with a Thai at your side. 500 baht to her or thousands of baht the the scam artists. You're happy, she is happy and the jet ski scum bag only makes a fair wage.

Would this actually work? If you used her ID and she made the rental agreement on your behalf? Surely it cannot be that easy......

[thrilled]

I believe everyone should boycott jetski rental.I believe after awhile this type of thing will stop.

[metisdead]

An off topic post and replies to it have been removed from view.

[whybother]

I believe everyone should boycott jetski rental.I believe after awhile this type of thing will stop.

There will always be unknowing tourists for them to rip off.

The only way to stop this is for the police to do their job, so don't expect anything to change.

[Deeral]

Why are people so resentful at this particular illegal activity?

People go to Pattaya for what? No need to spell it out, we all know and it is illegal, isn't it?

A case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

Like the drug addict complaining that his dealer isn't law-abiding.

if the police did their job in Pattaya, you wouldn't want to go there.

So if I take your post literally seems you are suggesting that people come to Pattaya because they are addicted to jetskiing?

THe other suggestion is that because there is a sex industry in Pattaya getting ripped off by jetski scams is OK.

may I suggest that your comments come from a very narrow perspective and a gross lack of knowledge about how the "law" operates in Thailand as a whole and also of the sex industry which is most certainly not confined to Pattaya. you also seem to have absolutely no idea of the demographics of the Pattaya tourism industry.

Why did you post?well I'll hazard a guess that you have an anally retentive personality with deep sexual hang-ups, and don't like jetskis - we have one thing in common, can you guess what it is?

[Tokay]

Day in, day out this happens. No one does anything about it.

The media reports it, it is online, it's all over youtube... big deal. It's not going to stop anytime soon. There is too much money involved and they are clearly protected from Soi 9 and City Hall.

[Tokay]

Obviously you do not understand. You both sign and date the chart. Now is that easy for you.

And many of the jet ski operators do the same. And guess what, they STILL are able to rip-off the tourists.

Bottom line is, you have no rights here. If they want to screw you, you lose. Period.

[saraburioz]

Why are people so resentful at this particular illegal activity?

People go to Pattaya for what? No need to spell it out, we all know and it is illegal, isn't it?

A case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

Like the drug addict complaining that his dealer isn't law-abiding.

if the police did their job in Pattaya, you wouldn't want to go there.

So if I take your post literally seems you are suggesting that people come to Pattaya because they are addicted to jetskiing?

THe other suggestion is that because there is a sex industry in Pattaya getting ripped off by jetski scams is OK.

may I suggest that your comments come from a very narrow perspective and a gross lack of knowledge about how the "law" operates in Thailand as a whole and also of the sex industry which is most certainly not confined to Pattaya. you also seem to have absolutely no idea of the demographics of the Pattaya tourism industry.

Why did you post?well I'll hazard a guess that you have an anally retentive personality with deep sexual hang-ups, and don't like jetskis - we have one thing in common, can you guess what it is?

What a obnoxious, rude reply - there's no need for insults or personal attack on my sexuality/personality.

Try adding addicted to sex along with annoyed and denial.

you'll be telling us next that you live in Pattaya because of the beach

[Skywalker69]

This seems to be happening recurrantly. Do the Tourist police not get involved?

You're joking right? The Tourist Police are there to POLICE the tourists, not protect them. They make sure tourists don't cause trouble for Thais.

Sad, but true.

[striderman]

well i can see the logic behind asking for a smaller amount and threatening to pursue a huge figure if u go to the cops at soi 9.

the matter is likely to be concluded much faster than waiting for an officer to turn up or going to soi 9 and having to repeat the story again and again.

if it's done faster the next falang mark can be ensnared quicker too and if the pie has 1 less large cut by not involving others then the end result could be nearly the same.

it is possible that the video and other publicity has brought these guys some heat and this is one way of dodging it and still raking in the cash.

i must say that on my last trip the scams were going down faster than i could take pics of them. last march when i first started watching this happen i'm sure it was less frequent, but now it is rampant all over the beach

[Skywalker69]

No where on the face of the planet have I seen a more disgusting place than Pattaya. It is full of thieves, drunks, crazies, whores, corruption, and so on. It is a good thing that it seems to be all in one place. The rest of the civilized world is on to Pattaya. Here is what the N.Y. Times has to say about the place....PATTAYA, THAILAND — Somewhere in the world there may be a city with a more seedy reputation, a place more devoted to the sex industry and more notorious as a haven for criminals on the lam. But probably not. http://www.nytimes.c...ref=todayspaper When you leave Pattaya (and you will) don't look back or you will be turned into a pillar of salt.

yes and all this also feeds, clothes, schools 100's of 1000's of mums dads and children

builds houses condos businesses

etc etc

you cant have one without the other

one day when Pattaya grows up it will be Los Vegas

Or mabye Los(t) Vegas

[peteryeah]

Boycotting of jet ski vendors should be encouraged until the problem is solved. Matter of fact it would make sense that officals encouraged it. Or maybe it wouldn't ($$$)?

[Jingthing]

Those who are aware of the scams are already not renting the skis. The problem is getting the message to the naive fresh batch of tourists that arrives in the burg daily. It's not even a matter of boycott, it's a matter of avoiding danger for your own selfish reasons.

[mark2552]

I do not believe Thailand will ever change...Why should it...Corruptron is the Medium and the Message here! Corruption is supported

by the Police and Rampant in the Government. Thats the way it is! Accept it or move on! However these types of incidents in Thailand

are the rule rather than the exception..

All this type of criminal behavior should be continuously publish in the Assocated Press. Complaining about it only in Bangkok newspapers

obviously falls on deaf ears...and besides if there were no corruption, what on earth would the newspapers write about!

[asiawatcher]

Where's TAT in all this - gone quiet have they???

[brahmburgers]

I've been down to Pattaya a few times and have been approached by different scammers down there mostly along that road that connects into Walking street, or the beach areas. I just raise my middle finger and tell them to go ....... off.

Just a word of caution. Thais understand 'giving the finger' and some get dangerously upset about it. You know the guidebooks which say "Thais frown upon losing one's temper" - what a load of crap. Each Thai has two temperments - 1. cool headed or appearing cool headed - and the other is full-blown postal anger. There is no middle ground.

Once, when driving on a hwy with two other men in my pickup truck, I gave the finger to a Thai trucker who had stopped abruptly in front of my vehicle. We were both going 70 Km/hr, and then he just stopped for some reason. I was forced to dangerously swerve around him. I gave him the finger. At the next stop light, he was parked close to my truck. He waved a sword from his cab and shouted, red-faced, for the entire time we were stopped at the light.

So be warned, don't give the finger to a Thai man. You risk him getting instantly angry, and very soon it could be a life-threatening situation, likely with his buddies alongside. If you know how Thais fight, you know they do it in groups and with weapons. There is no such thing as a fair fight here in LOS.

We need big warning signs near the beach , beware of jetski scams.

Maybe the Mayor of Pattaya, Mr. Ithiphol Khunplume would like to get involved ? After all he wants to clean the city for criminals.

Did you mean to write 'clean the city for criminals' or 'clean the city of criminals'?

Whether or not it's a typo, the way you wrote it sounds more plausible in light of reality. To make Pattaya an easier place FOR criminals, is what authorities seem to be doing - FOR both farang and Thai criminals.

Edited February 2, 2011 by brahmburgers

[mark45y]

Why are people so resentful at this particular illegal activity?

People go to Pattaya for what? No need to spell it out, we all know and it is illegal, isn't it?

A case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

Like the drug addict complaining that his dealer isn't law-abiding.

if the police did their job in Pattaya, you wouldn't want to go there.

So if I take your post literally seems you are suggesting that people come to Pattaya because they are addicted to jetskiing?

THe other suggestion is that because there is a sex industry in Pattaya getting ripped off by jetski scams is OK.

may I suggest that your comments come from a very narrow perspective and a gross lack of knowledge about how the "law" operates in Thailand as a whole and also of the sex industry which is most certainly not confined to Pattaya. you also seem to have absolutely no idea of the demographics of the Pattaya tourism industry.

Why did you post?well I'll hazard a guess that you have an anally retentive personality with deep sexual hang-ups, and don't like jetskis - we have one thing in common, can you guess what it is?

What a obnoxious, rude reply - there's no need for insults or personal attack on my sexuality/personality.

Try adding addicted to sex along with annoyed and denial.

you'll be telling us next that you live in Pattaya because of the beach

5 years ago I moved from Chiang Mai to Pattaya because of the smoke and expense of Chiang Mai. I found the weather nicer, food cheaper and quality medical care half the price.

Not only is the food cheaper but Pattaya is a restaurant mecca.

I don't think Pattaya is a place to search for a life mate but it is home to many interesting people.

I like to see tourists coming to Pattaya and think the town should react negatively to violent crime as promoted by the police, city hall and jet ski scammers.

I don't buy the argument that because some victim less crimes are tolerated all crimes should be tolerated.

Thai women are changing since the first time I was here in the 1960's. They are getting fatter and bigger. Hence many traditional employment opportunities that don't depend on rice picking are becoming less and less available to them. Traditional Thai men do not seem to to be changing their tastes to big fat women. Where once upon a time they could keep their hands soft and garner a decent wage by staying close to the farm now this seems to be not possible. Pattaya especially German parts of Pattaya have become a life saver for these chubby chicks. I am referring to German restaurant labor of course.

Pattaya is also a shining beacon of non racist employment as the women with darker complexions may be spurned by the entertainment industry in their home towns they are accepted with open arms in Pattaya.

Three cheers for Thai Visa by keeping these nefarious schemes by Jet ski operators on the front page and in top of mind awareness of the local media and tourist news sources.

[softgeorge]

Why are people so resentful at this particular illegal activity?

People go to Pattaya for what? No need to spell it out, we all know and it is illegal, isn't it?

A case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

Like the drug addict complaining that his dealer isn't law-abiding.

if the police did their job in Pattaya, you wouldn't want to go there.

People go to Pattaya to experience the Thai culture, the sunshine and the beaches. They take photo's and return home and brag how they have experienced the wonderful culture of Thailand without even leaving the borders of Pattaya.

[inkorat]

How about getting a Thai insurance company to sell scam insurance via the hotels. If there is a problem they put up the bond and sort evrything out with the police.

Let them try getting money out of a Thai Insurance company... Good Luck !

[spidermike007]

I personally had no problems with jetski operators in hua hin recently, would go back nay time again. in fact got a 300 bht reduction and an extra 10 mins on the ski at the end of the day at sundown , brilliant guys operating the skis here, Pattaya maybe has a lot to learn. If you want customers to come back, be fair to them!!!

In the parts of Thailand I have been exposed to in my 24 years I have not seen many situations that " If you want customers to come back, be fair to them". Very much more often that not it is get as much as you can as quick as you can and forget about return customers in the future. Snatch and Grab.

From what I am told, you cannot find a straight jet ski operator in Samui. They run this scam daily, and the police do NOTHING. It has been caught on videotape, and played around the world. Still, the police do nothing, and the scams continue on a daily basis. I warm everyone that I speak with who visits. The #1 rule here in Samui, is stay at least 100 meters away from any jet ski operator. They are ALL thieves.

Try Cheong Mon beach almost opposite Honey Bungalows, a small family operation with just a couple of skis.

Thanks for the recommendation. Fortunately in Thailand there are always good people that make any sweeping statement moot. But, as a general rule of thumb, never rent a jet ski in either Samui, Phuket, or Pattaya, without a recommendation of someone you can trust.

[swillowbee]

... most anything and everything anyone who ever comes to Thailand might ever need to know about Thailand is nicely wrapped-up in this single story ... the Thai Jet Ski Scam touches on all facets of Thailand's celebrated cultural values ... simply extrapolate the lessons here across all social and commercial interchange anyone might ever have here ... and, aha! ... there it is ... the PhD.

Edited February 2, 2011 by swillowbee

[spidermike007]

I've absolutely NO sympathy for these selfish bloody tourists (note they're ALL male) who think nothing of ruining one's quiet day at the beach because they want to race noisily about the ocean destroying the coral and putting bathers lives at risk regardless.

They should (and I repeat 'should') by now be aware of these so called scams, given that jet skis are 'illegal', believe the word 'scam' inappropriate. How can one be scammed by someone conducting an illegal business in the first place, rather like a john complaining to a brothel keeper about having been ripped off by one his sex workers, given all the publicity this particular aspect of Thai tourism has been given worldwide. Or do they not have access to international news in India and Iran?

One illegal act does not wipe out another illegal act even if they are connected.

If you park your car at a red/white marker, does not mean that another car can crash into yours and get away with it. Or may be you are prepared to pay for both cars if you are the one that parked wrong (illegaly). Dont think so.

Actually, that is the Law. I know this because my company car conked out a few weeks back and I left it to the side of the road (actually off the road) overnight until the mechanic could come and have a look in the morning. My boss was adamant that a mechanic come straight away as, if someone crashed into my car, the company would be liable. My boss is a former Thau public prosecutor, appeals court judge and criminal court judge.

Back on topic though, from my experience the jet ski operators are mostly scammers and the BiB are intimately involved. When I was young and long-haired, I used to manage a small bungalow resort on Chaweng Beach (Samui) and we rented out space to an operator so he could keep his jet skis next to the beach. I rented two, having known him personally for a while, when my brother was visiting. My brother was a little reckless and he had a prang - a side panel was dented and probably needed replacing. I know how much this costs to fix, but the owner (a policeman) told me that he "had to charge me 600 Baht an hour for each day that the jetski was being repaired - in Pattaya". I told him to ____ off and said I'd pay a 2x inflated price for a fibre glass panel, which I would fit myself, or I'd report him to the public prosecutor. He took the cash, shut up and left, but he never spoke to me again. Since then I have always advised against use of hired jetskis.

Having said that, I'm sure there are some reasonable ones in quieter places like Hua Hin, Khanom and Koh Tarutao... and maybe one or two in Phuket and Samui. Not sure about Pattaya though!

Theres no coral reef off pattaya beach

One can always find good, reputable Thais working alongside the crooks. But, as a foreigner visiting Thailand how would you know. In a place like Samui, the mafia (wannabe, pretend criminals) are everywhere. One helppful guy spoke up, and pointed out one operator in Chaing Mon that he knows of. Many think the crooked operators control the authorities, so where is the leverage for a tourist? Will anybody help them? Will the tourist police help? WIll the central government help? WIll the Surat Thani authorities help? It has not happened to date, and everybody concerned knows what is going on. This has been happening for years. If the authorities had any interest in correcting this problem, that would have happened long ago. Instead, the tourists are getting scammed on a daily basis, and nobody does anything about it. It may change, but when it does it may be too late. The damage to Thailand's reputation may grow to the point of no turning back. Especially when the neighboring countries are working so hard on building their tourism industries, and taking complaints like these seriously enough to be handing down 5 and 10 year prison sentences to the culprits, and the involved authorities. Would we ever see anything like that happen here? I would love to see it, but am awaiting that pleasant surprise.

[tomyummer]

Jet skis should not even be allowed on the beach. Thailand's beaches suck because of the jet skis and boats allowed to beach near the shores. Water and noise pollution and kids can't play on the shores in fear of getting hit. Nothing like oiling your body with petrol while swimming.

Ban these stupid vehicles!!

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have removed. Discussion of Pattaya Jet Ski scammers is on topic to the discussion while discussion of life comparisons in Chiang Mai is another topic altogether.

[Deeral]

Jet skis should not even be allowed on the beach. Thailand's beaches suck because of the jet skis and boats allowed to beach near the shores. Water and noise pollution and kids can't play on the shores in fear of getting hit. Nothing like oiling your body with petrol while swimming.

Ban these stupid vehicles!!

A ban would solve lot of problems.

or maybe some rethink of where they could be used - a clearly marked area that bans them. Same as in Sydney.