Jet Ski Scam Pattaya When Will It Stop

[saintofsilence]

City Hall failure to regulate jet skis costs Ukrainian tourists 30,000 baht

Despite city hall pledges to crack down on Pattaya’s scurrilous jet ski rental industry, tourists continue to fall victim to scammers with a group of Ukrainians taking the latest beating from extortionists.

Police were called to the beachfront near Welcome Plaza hotel in South Pattaya Dec. 8 to find two female and one male 20s-age Ukrainians arguing with Sorayut Je-mad, 34, and Nattapoom Poomnok, 25. The two Thais were demanded the Ukrainians pay about 78,000 baht for alleged scratches to jet skis they rented in front of the Royal Garden Plaza.

cont

http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/city-hall-failure-to-regulate-jet-skis-costs-ukrainian-tourists-30-000-baht-8606?ref=pmci

[pauljones]

Assaults, robbery, hostage taking, drug dealers, hookers, corrupt police, beach rented out to private businesses, trash, dead landscaping, porn vendors, gangs, loitering drunks and mentally ill.

Like the Mayor says: it's a family resort.

[striderman]

so i never bothered to post anymore but in the dead of night when the banjo strummers of this world are out shopping for nail clippers

here you go.......

all you gotta now is find him

[saintofsilence]

so i never bothered to post anymore but in the dead of night when the banjo strummers of this world are out shopping for nail clippers

here you go.......

all you gotta now is find him

Striderman your are such a risk taker posting pictures like this will not get you a holiday

Edited December 19, 2011 by saintofsilence

[striderman]

onshore winds the last few days have made sea condtions challenging so not many people have been hiring. but 2 hardy souls renting from opposite the best friend bar complex and blue lagoon sign found out on their return to shore that their fortitude was not rewarded. Scam time is on. started about an hour ago and i bet it's still going on now.

usual senario lots of pointing and checking by all and sundry with eventually the old boy there who looks like a kindly extra from the water margin entering the debate by screaming "what happened?"

[surangw]

slim odds the investigation will reach pattaya

Latest raid a clear warning for corrupt police officers

[maidu]

The Jetski operators should write a how-to booklet for wanna-be scam artists:

How to make $1,000 a week from the one same dent on a jetski. On-going income. You can use the same scam when renting motorcycles, or any vehicle. No matter that a handy person would know it would only cost about 80 baht to fix the dent with a bit of epoxy and some sandpaper. And no matter that the renters didn't cause the dent. It's the modus of thieves: If you can get away with it, do it.

This is not a scam to be perpetrated by the meek. You gotta be very threatening and callous for it to work consistently.

.....oh, and it helps to have some local cops in on the scam with you.

[James3113]

Sit on the cement platform opposite Mike Shopping Mall at 17:30 any day of the week and I promise you will see the jet ski scam unfold. I've gone a few times and there are regulars who come to gawk as well.

[Ohio]

The post asks "When will it stop?"

Answer again is NEVER

Too many fingers in the pie

[pauljones]

Sit on the cement platform opposite Mike Shopping Mall at 17:30 any day of the week and I promise you will see the jet ski scam unfold. I've gone a few times and there are regulars who come to gawk as well.

I sat there one afternoon (opposite Mikes) watching some tourists riding the jet skis, anticipating the scam.

A foreigner sat next to me staring out to sea as well.

When the jet skis ride was finished and the riders approached the beach, the foreigner asked me: "Here for the show?"

A word of warning to anybody watching. Do not take photos. They have enforcers scouting the crowds and they may attack you.

[James3113]

Sit on the cement platform opposite Mike Shopping Mall at 17:30 any day of the week and I promise you will see the jet ski scam unfold. I've gone a few times and there are regulars who come to gawk as well.

I sat there one afternoon (opposite Mikes) watching some tourists riding the jet skis, anticipating the scam.

A foreigner sat next to me staring out to sea as well.

When the jet skis ride was finished and the riders approached the beach, the foreigner asked me: "Here for the show?"

A word of warning to anybody watching. Do not take photos. They have enforcers scouting the crowds and they may attack you.

While I've heard the scammers will brazenly scam 2 different groups only a few meters from each other, they also sometimes let 1 group off unscathed while digging their claws into a larger group. Yesterday saw a Russian couple off the hook. They finished first and left the area. They had no idea how close they came to getting scammed. Departing just a few minutes later was a group of 3 Indians who got scammed on their return. Makes sense to hit 3 riders on 3 jet skis rather than a couple on 1 jet ski. It's a very clever scam I hate to say.

[pauljones]

There is a heavy set lady to the right of that concrete platform. She lays about, like a sloth, in a lounge chair all day, tossing her numerous used food containers on the ground, and is supervising these guys.

A couple other, middle age ladies are also watching after/involved with the scams up and down the beach.

I speculate they are trusted friends, relatives, or staff, monitoring the cash flow for the real owners of the skis.

[gmac]

Sit on the cement platform opposite Mike Shopping Mall at 17:30 any day of the week and I promise you will see the jet ski scam unfold. I've gone a few times and there are regulars who come to gawk as well.

I sat there one afternoon (opposite Mikes) watching some tourists riding the jet skis, anticipating the scam.

A foreigner sat next to me staring out to sea as well.

When the jet skis ride was finished and the riders approached the beach, the foreigner asked me: "Here for the show?"

A word of warning to anybody watching. Do not take photos. They have enforcers scouting the crowds and they may attack you.

While I've heard the scammers will brazenly scam 2 different groups only a few meters from each other, they also sometimes let 1 group off unscathed while digging their claws into a larger group. Yesterday saw a Russian couple off the hook. They finished first and left the area. They had no idea how close they came to getting scammed. Departing just a few minutes later was a group of 3 Indians who got scammed on their return. Makes sense to hit 3 riders on 3 jet skis rather than a couple on 1 jet ski. It's a very clever scam I hate to say.

Hardly a 'clever' scam, merely theft and extortion by intimidation. Pure greed rather than intelligence places the focus on a group using 3 skis rather than a couple on 1. If it were clever then the victims would have to actually believe in the coincidence that they had actually damaged all 3 skis, while hitting nothing, in a half hours riding. They don't pay up because they believe the scammers, they pay up because they are scared of the consequences of not paying.

[saintofsilence]

There is another woman that was seen taking gold from a victims neck one night near central , a photo of her was put on the Pattaya future facebook page and after that she was off the beach for a few weeks but she is back on the beach and works with her partner a short guy with colour through the hair always drunk and involved in many scams they work between soi 10 and soi 13 and use a motorbike with side cart.

The same woman and her gang were reported for extoring money from a young farang at the A.T.M s in central shopping mall but they still operate.

They are just another cog in the wheel of this large criminal gang running the beach in full view of cameras . Drink vendors are lookouts for people taking photos.

When certain people in high places will not answer questions or take action against this group it just shows how dangerous it is to rent jet skis.

Pattaya City hall should be taken to task by embassy officials from all countries on their abilty to protect tourists on Pattaya beach.

All we hear is its being investigated or we will have another meeting yet robbery and extortion continues almost everyday.

The mafia will continue to run the beach until all jet skies are banned for good.

[BookMan]

There is another woman that was seen taking gold from a victims neck one night near central , a photo of her was put on the Pattaya future facebook page and after that she was off the beach for a few weeks but she is back on the beach and works with her partner a short guy with colour through the hair always drunk and involved in many scams they work between soi 10 and soi 13 and use a motorbike with side cart.

The same woman and her gang were reported for extoring money from a young farang at the A.T.M s in central shopping mall but they still operate.

They are just another cog in the wheel of this large criminal gang running the beach in full view of cameras . Drink vendors are lookouts for people taking photos.

When certain people in high places will not answer questions or take action against this group it just shows how dangerous it is to rent jet skis.

Pattaya City hall should be taken to task by embassy officials from all countries on their abilty to protect tourists on Pattaya beach.

All we hear is its being investigated or we will have another meeting yet robbery and extortion continues almost everyday.

The mafia will continue to run the beach until all jet skies are banned for good.

and once the jet skis are banned...what will the mafia target next? Motorbikes?

banning jet skis isnt the answer. Actually prosecuting and banning the people is the solution

[champken]

and once the jet skis are banned...what will the mafia target next? Motorbikes?

banning jet skis isn't the answer. Actually prosecuting and banning the people is the solution

Actually, rental Motorbikes was the main scam a few years back, they would arrange for them to get stolen from the renter never to be seen again until the victim had paid for the loss and flown back to wherever he came from, the plod was also in on that one.

I would highly recommend that if you really need to rent a Motorbike in Thailand, then if at all possible,try and rent one from a farang run business and certainly not from one of those crooks that operate around or along the beach front area, better still if you are here for 2 or 3 months then buy one and then sell it when you go home (they don't lose that much value)

[striderman]

right on 18 00 hrs caught 1 going down right at the start of the beach near soi 13/4 opposite baywatch restaurant. couple of indians on the receiving end.

i am sure less people are renting than last year, lets see what happens in the next couple of weeks, in theory the resorts busiest period

[BookMan]

and once the jet skis are banned...what will the mafia target next? Motorbikes?

banning jet skis isn't the answer. Actually prosecuting and banning the people is the solution

Actually, rental Motorbikes was the main scam a few years back, they would arrange for them to get stolen from the renter never to be seen again until the victim had paid for the loss and flown back to wherever he came from, the plod was also in on that one.

I would highly recommend that if you really need to rent a Motorbike in Thailand, then if at all possible,try and rent one from a farang run business and certainly not from one of those crooks that operate around or along the beach front area, better still if you are here for 2 or 3 months then buy one and then sell it when you go home (they don't lose that much value)

sage advice. I didnt know pattaya had suffered from that scam. What happened to that i wonder?

When i have rented i rent through the hotel I stay, and that way i dont have to hand ov rmy passport. Costs a little more but i feel safer.

[champken]

I think everyone should just accept the fact that this scam will continue indefinitely and the only way it will or could be stopped is with a firm directive from the government in Bangkok to do that, but despite a national TV channel highlighting this scam, nothing is done, it makes you wonder just how high up the food chain this goes.

What is almost certain is that within the Chonburi area, there are some very powerful people involved in this who are not willing to give this lucrative scam up, what influence they may or may not have in Bangkok circles is anybodies guess, but the whole thing just doesn't smell right to me, why has it been allowed to go on for so long?

[pauljones]

The jet ski scammers are stealing at least 300,000 per day from visitors.

9,000,000 per month.

There are important people that depend on that income and they won't let anybody stop them.

[katana]

There was a video which someone filmed covertly of the jetski scam which was posted up on Youtube.

Maybe if people filmed more scams (using the zoom function from a safe distance!) and posted up the videos it may have some 'name and shame' effect on the powers that be.

[maidu]

Top authorities at Pattaya and Phuket are simply not doing what they need to do.

They need to shut down all jet ski operations for 1 month. rotate law enforcement agents (I won't call them officers) - those posted at the beaches get posted inland, and others take their places so on.

After the month of no jetskis, then police the operators as strictly as farang police would. Indeed, Thailand sometimes calls in foreign experts when there's a job their professionals can't handle (example: when the security devices broke at Swampy airport). Similarly, Pattaya and Phuket should call in farang experts to do what they can't do. Namely: try keeping jetski (and taxi) operators from stealing from tourists.

Best of all, of course, would be to simply ban jetskis altogether - but that's not possible, mainly because the jetski mafia is stronger than the authorities at those places.

[Jale]

Yesterday, I saw one of those guys just North of Mike's kicking a tourist: At around 3:00pm, a British (or Aussie) gentleman was observing the sky renters (from the pedestrian foot path) for may-be too long when one of the mafia guys approached him and started to insult him about watching but not renting. The verlang started to back off saying he didn't want to rent and the mafia guy started to kick him in the leg.He walked away. I don't know if he was watching a scam in progress (I didn't care to stick around) or if is a new step in their marketing approach: coercive rental!

[saintofsilence]

Yesterday, I saw one of those guys just North of Mike's kicking a tourist: At around 3:00pm, a British (or Aussie) gentleman was observing the sky renters (from the pedestrian foot path) for may-be too long when one of the mafia guys approached him and started to insult him about watching but not renting. The verlang started to back off saying he didn't want to rent and the mafia guy started to kick him in the leg.He walked away. I don't know if he was watching a scam in progress (I didn't care to stick around) or if is a new step in their marketing approach: coercive rental!

In the last 12 months i have seen a few tourists assaulted for just looking and others knocked over for taking photo's that location you are talking about there are more scams there than anywhere else and police have been given plenty of complaints but wont go near the place.

It would be interested to know if law enforcement officers or pattaya city hall officials own some of the skis.

Edited December 25, 2011 by saintofsilence

[saintofsilence]

Dec 2011

A meeting took place at Pattaya City Hall on Wednesday afternoon to address the new policy to be enforced on Jet Ski and water sport operators in Pattaya and Jomtien. Deputy Mayor Ronnakit Aegasing chaired the discussion along with all relevant authorities. They addressed a number of complaints made by tourists against operators, especially when an accident occurs, when tourists believed they were being ripped off by being overcharged for compensation. A Committee will be set up to oversee these operators. Under the control of City Hall a fixed compensation guide will be created, and the Committee will be responsible for negotiating and agreeing on compensation between tourists and operators.

-- PATTAYA PEOPLE

Edited December 25, 2011 by Rimmer

[salty]

Sir Humphrey would surely approve.

[Rimmer]

A number of posts have been removed, see here:

I can easily close this topic if finger pointing at public officials does not cease immediately.

If it is closed there may not be another one opened so please be warned.

[striderman]

I have checked the tv and there are red dwarf repeats on right now so it's ok to post.

meanwhile on pattaya beach it's still high winds and a tat market that has reduced the walking space to no more than 2 feet width in places.

so few people renting but i did find an iranian ? or from somewhere like that in deep discussion with the not so friendly extra from the water margin surrounded by about 10 lackeys today dressed mainly in barcelona tops. yesterday they were all dressed in liverpool shirts guess it's some sort of daily game they play.

Although i was watching from some distance he kept pointing to various bits of the bay which does contain a few small sunken fishing skiffs etc. his suggestion being the renter must have collided with one. quite how this is done in a ski with the tide right in is a good question and one that the iranian is currently struggling to answer

[balo]

When I went to Pattaya a few days ago I took a walk along the beach early afternoon , took a few pictures of the jet skis and a drunk tatoo guy, from distance.

I was asked if I wanted to rent and just carried on walking , if I were a customer I would never choose to rent from someone appearing drunk and with lots of tattoos. I saw a couple of Indians renting but I didnt hang around long enough to see if they were scammed.

Edited December 27, 2011 by balo

[Rimmer]

I have checked the tv and there are red dwarf repeats on right now so it's ok to post.