Phuket Foreigners Losing Homes To Con Men

[sandgroper2]

If you believe any of that rubbish you want your brains examining.

It reads like a story. A childish poorly written one at that.

But why do they print such trash, write such rubbish, think that farangs would believe such a thinly disguised piece of juvenile fiction?

Scams there certainly are but codswallop about simply non-credible gullibility and belief that a seven year old would reject is an insult to the intelligence.

Reject.

Next.

Housepainter, you aint been around, Ive have personal knowledge of this scam, and, i cant spell too good either.

[schlog]

How frickin stupid can some people be!!

As stupid as you or I on GBH.

GBH is colourless and tasteless and was clearly in the glass of water.

It gives the victim total trust.

It is often used in date rape.

A friend of mine went shopping in Panthip plaza

and emerged with his new ipod and laptop and other goodies

in a large shopping bag.

He was targeted by a tuk tuk driver who took him to his house.

There he was also given a glass of water and did not remember much more

except that he gambled and lost everything.

He was not a gambling man.

It is called GHB.

Easy to prove, let her do a hair screening. Then you will know exactly what happened.

[bkkdawg]

....and then 450 days later after the divorce, she picks up her share of the house money!

...Would any of you be surprised if this was the case?

...no! TIT 55555

My thoughts exactly - and less risky than paying someone to throw him off a balcony after he had been drinking.

Have to agree with this theory, the wife definately set this one up with a bit of help from the local mafia or something. I mean who would really swallow this onw whole?! As someone already said, you really couldn't make a 'D' grade movie out this story!

[sirchai]

what a plum. i can't really feel sorry for her,she was quite willing to fleece the gambler of all his money,so i think a bit of som nam naa is in order.

I feel sorry for her farang husband abroad as I bet you 10 million baht that it was his money that paid for the house.

"Some people say that the victims like me are stupid, but they have not lived through my experience so they don’t know."

You're not stupid, but your foreign husband might be Pee Baa still staying with you. Guess I know which kind of experience you've lived through. I'm speechless....

[sirchai]

How frickin stupid can some people be!!

As stupid as you or I on GBH.

GBH is colourless and tasteless and was clearly in the glass of water.

It gives the victim total trust.

It is often used in date rape.

A friend of mine went shopping in Panthip plaza

and emerged with his new ipod and laptop and other goodies

in a large shopping bag.

He was targeted by a tuk tuk driver who took him to his house.

There he was also given a glass of water and did not remember much more

except that he gambled and lost everything.

He was not a gambling man.

It is called GHB.

Easy to prove, let her do a hair screening. Then you will know exactly what happened.

Guess she went to a temple and cut all her hair already. It's called RFO. ( Ripped Foreigner Off....)

[sirchai]

There's only one thing to say: You cannot con an honest person.

My GF would run away from them. She's quite intelligent, honest and values what little money she earns.

She might run away from you as well and values what little money she earns....

[easton]

Speechless...................................

[baboon]

So she knowingly became involved in some card game for high stakes at her own free will believing that she was going to walk away from the scam a lot richer.

The only crime that I can see was committed here, is that gambling is illegal in Thailand, so in fact as a participant of this card game, the woman was also breaking the law.

As for the money, the woman took a gamble and lost, so I cannot understand how she has any legal claims for the return of her money.

If for example the group did manage to cheat the wealthy guy, I am sure that this alleged victim would not have given a rat’s behind about the man and nothing else would have been said about this event. She would now have been counting her ill-gotten gains with great delight.

What goes around, comes around and in this case has snacked her right back in the face.

Serves her bladdy well right, she deserved everything she got.

The poor woman was going to donate the winnings to the temple. Why are you being so callous?

Seriously though, - and maybe I am being the naive one here - if this was a scam to cheat her husband, is it not a pointlessly elaborate one? One that involves too many parties and therefore could easily be exposed or blow up in her face? I mean; why involve the press, even if it is only the crappy Gazette?

If she didn`t want to organise flying lessons or a drive by suicide, why not simply go for the old `sign it over and swear to her dying breath it was nothing to do with her` caper?

Help me out, guys. Where am I going wrong?

[normac44]

If we are to believe this story then all I can say is "Amazing Thailand"

[meatboy]

if its true and that is a BIG IF, serve you right to own what you had most thai's can only dream about,it is greed,never satisfied,only hope your husband kicks you into touch and you have to go and work.many thai's will read the story but it will only be[ you will never learn]

[Kilgore Trout]

"they taught me some basic ways of cheating".

Sums it up for me.

Som nom nah

Maybe she was drugged.

Sure, its probably that drug that makes you gullible but doesn't impair your ability to think, listen or even go to an atm and empty your bank account :lol:

[NanaFoods]

....and then 450 days later after the divorce, she picks up her share of the house money!

...Would any of you be surprised if this was the case?

...no! TIT 55555

My thoughts exactly - and less risky than paying someone to throw him off a balcony after he had been drinking.

Have to agree with this theory, the wife definately set this one up with a bit of help from the local mafia or something. I mean who would really swallow this onw whole?! As someone already said, you really couldn't make a 'D' grade movie out this story!

entirely plausible.

[geriatrickid]

Som Nam Nar!

Every Child knows not buy property in thailand and not fall in love with a thai lady.

The problem seems to be with the adults.

[hhfarang]

This story almost word for word with a few exceptions happened to my wife about a year ago in Hua Hin. Our house was for sale and the driver came saying he had a wealthy Chinese client. He toured the property and said his employer, who was here on business, would love the house and for sure buy it. Then the driver and a very nice hi-so looking woman came back the next day to look again and the woman sat down with us and even negotiated things like what furnishings would go with the house, how it was held (ownership), and what deposit we would require and she seemed totally legitimate. They called my wife the following day (when I was out playing golf) and asked her if she would come to a big resort hotel on the highway between Hua Hin and Cha-Am to meet the Chinese man and negotiate the deal to buy our home. She agreed and they sent the driver to pick her up.

She went and exactly the same scenario happened with a third (scary looking man) and the wealthy man having lost 3 million the day before insisting on gambling again that evening with the money he was going to use to buy our home. She was shown what looked like a bag full of money (had money on top) and he left the room and they proceeded to use exactly the same tactic on my wife to try to get her to learn the gambling game and cheat so that the man would not lose his money and would still be able to buy our home.

My wife refused the water that was offered (it was still given but she did not drink it), and not being a gambler, she also refused the plot and asked to be taken home. At that point she recognized it as a con and was terrified that they would kill her. She convinced them that she had no access to money or gold for their gambling scheme and after they held her for over two hours they had a private chat out of earshot before the woman came to her and told her they would take her home but if she ever said anything about it to anyone they would come after her. She believed that as the third man in the room when she arrived looked (in her words) like a Thai hit man.

The driver brought her home and she reckons she was lucky to get away with her life. I was only home the first two times when the driver and the lady came so I never met the others and I wasn't there to stop her from going with them, but I can say that the driver and the woman were very professional and convincing and we both thought originally that it was a genuine offer of a possible buyer to purchase our home.

As soon as I got home and heard the story, we drove back to the hotel to see if the car that we had seen them in was still there. If it had been I was going to go get the police to come immediately, but it was gone so my wife was to afraid to pursue it further and convinced me that these were very dangerous people.

I give my missus kudos for being honest, not a gambler, and recognizing when something is not right, and using her wits to convince them that she had nothing to offer them.

Edited October 9, 2011 by hhfarang

[LivinginKata]

Maybe she was drugged.

Sure, its probably that drug that makes you gullible but doesn't impair your ability to think, listen or even go to an atm and empty your bank account :lol:

These drugs take away your ability to think rationally. I know some people who have been cheated by drinking some water with additive. Nearly happened to my wife, similar story as reported. Some Thai people phoned to view one of her rental properties, agreed to the price, wanted to pay into her bank account (she told them her bank book was at home), asked her to come back to their hotel room to meet the money man, offered some water and kept her waiting so that she would drink. Big story about boss made a lot of money gambling. My wife had heard of this scam so she took off fast. Reported them to the police but they were long gone from hotel. This story is entirely plausible to me.

[Arkady]

Although they are despicable you have to admit that the con men are smart in identifying the target of farangs' Thai wives who have costly houses and land in their names paid for by their husbands. They usually have only basic education and are quite naive, so they aren't at all suspicious when some one comes up with a very far fetched story about a rich Chinaman (who turns out to be an obvious Thai Chinese that probably can only speak a few words of kitchen Teochew and no Mandarin) wanting to pay over the odds to buy or rent their house. Many are also quite willing to do something deceitful regarding their husbands without a second thought. Maybe they are given "date rape" type drugs but many are naive enough not to need them and it is natural to claim being drugged to explain being taken for such a fool. I would think that the drugs might impair the marks' ability to perform the series of actions needed to raise cash quickly in order to participate in the swindle. The crooks also risk unintentionally killing them. It is interesting that all the victims seem to jump at the chance of renting out or selling their family home paid for 100% by their husbands, rather than just saying, "You'll have to talk to my husband about that" - end of story.

[ALFREDO]

Plausible story, the wife within or not.

If the wife has the possibility to sale the house or give as a loan, she do not need to kill her husband, boyfriiend as some believe.

She could just do that sale without a scam. Or she want to try to keep him to take more money out of him, if she is in the story to.

Reminds me of the old scam with the "Blackened Dollars",

which had been hiding somewhere long time from CIA or so on and need only to be washed with the right ingridience-substance-formula

and are than useable Dollars again. Many did also fall for that one.

[hhfarang]

One correction to my story above. I was just talking to my wife about it and she said they called and picked her up early right after I left to play golf (maybe they were even watching and waiting for me to leave). Anyway, they kept and harassed her with the con for almost five hours instead of two as I said (nearly the entire time I was gone).

Very scary for her indeed. Before that, the only time I turned my mobile phone off (while away from the wife) was on the golf course as nothing is more annoying that a ringing mobile and the ensuing conversation while you are waiting to putt or tee off. She knew that so knew that she could not reach me, but after that incident I keep it on even during golf.

[xen]

This is a very common scam - being induced into a "can't loose" card game to rip off an old wealthy person , usually somebody that the victim can't feel any empathy for and then let the greed do the rest. Check out bkk scams for versions of it . If you are greedy and without scrupples then it is easy to fall for it - wether you are drugged or not.

[konaboy]

....and then 450 days later after the divorce, she picks up her share of the house money!

...Would any of you be surprised if this was the case?

...no! TIT 55555

Probably much closer to the truth!

I returned to Thailand a few months ago to find my Thai wife of 6 years had bank financed our paid off car and gambled away $12,000 US.

Said something about her girlfriend and her were "setting up the victim" Didn't work.Now she is mad at the girlfriend-I told her it was her car and her problem when she asked me to pay the bank.

I have filed for divorce b4 she gets everything I own- It's all true about these women.

[wallcracks]

Similar thing happened to me in Manila about 15 years ago lost $4000.

A friend of mine lost around 6000Euros in Bangkok the same way.

I could not believe after he told me his story I knew right away it was a Scam but at that Point he did not even realize it a 100%

On thing is for sure these Guys are very convincing

his story was not exactly the same but in some Points very similar teaching basic Skills etc..

[baboon]

Probably much closer to the truth!

I returned to Thailand a few months ago to find my Thai wife of 6 years had bank financed our paid off car and gambled away $12,000 US.

Said something about her girlfriend and her were "setting up the victim" Didn't work.Now she is mad at the girlfriend-I told her it was her car and her problem when she asked me to pay the bank.

I have filed for divorce b4 she gets everything I own- It's all true about these women.

Good on you for not just coughing up like the mug you would have been if you had. What a laughing stock you would have become locally!

I wonder what the [soon to be ex?] husband will do in this case.

[Kilgore Trout]

Maybe she was drugged.

Sure, its probably that drug that makes you gullible but doesn't impair your ability to think, listen or even go to an atm and empty your bank account :lol:

These drugs take away your ability to think rationally. I know some people who have been cheated by drinking some water with additive. Nearly happened to my wife, similar story as reported. Some Thai people phoned to view one of her rental properties, agreed to the price, wanted to pay into her bank account (she told them her bank book was at home), asked her to come back to their hotel room to meet the money man, offered some water and kept her waiting so that she would drink. Big story about boss made a lot of money gambling. My wife had heard of this scam so she took off fast. Reported them to the police but they were long gone from hotel. This story is entirely plausible to me.

So what could this "mystery drug" be?

I ain't buying it

[LivinginKata]

So what could this "mystery drug" be?

I ain't buying it

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) - http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid&ei=uzWRTrbyJ4fprQfO3uWxAQ&usg=AFQjCNF6I63r6MY0y6okT0qanQBo5DhybQ

[theanimaster]

I think this moron deserves more than just a divorce.

[ljerams]

Twenty odd years ago,I got targeted for a gambling scam by a pretty Malaysian girl in a Singapore shopping centre. Never having heard of such scams before it took a little time for the penny to drop. But my red light came on as soon as gambling was mentioned as I have never gambled except for a bit of fun. I quite firmly stated that I didn't gamble,carried small money and wouldn't be buying any gold with my Visa as suggested.

I just remained very polite and firm and they gave up.

[Kilgore Trout]

So what could this "mystery drug" be?

I ain't buying it

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) - http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FGamma-Hydroxybutyric_acid&ei=uzWRTrbyJ4fprQfO3uWxAQ&usg=AFQjCNF6I63r6MY0y6okT0qanQBo5DhybQ

it has been described as "very easy to add to drinks"[28] that mask the flavor.

GHB, produced as a sodium salt (sodium oxybate), may provide a noticeable salty character to the drink

This from your article; seems unlikely this would be un-noticible in a glass of plain water. If they were really using this drug then they would probably be sophisticated enough to put it in a drink that "masks the flavor" as your article quotes.

[thaiIand]

So what could this "mystery drug" be?

I ain't buying it

GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid) - http://www.google.co...kT0qanQBo5DhybQ

I think most people have taken ghb in their youths and its just an excuse like when a woman says 'oh i blacked out because i had 3 large beers, i didnt mean to cheat). GHB isnt that strong by itself unless you take a shitload and then you're just unconcious. a good dose is like taking a few beers, not in shape to play a card game if you're a woman and definitely unable to get to a bank and withdraw money. People say that you become trusting on GHB, you really dont, you're just too out of it to move the penis out of your vagina once it goes in.

[yellow1red1]

As I had never gambled before, they taught me some basic ways of cheating.

the manager suggested that the four of us come up with 10 million baht, cheat the man out of all his money, and divide up the winnings

I may be kind-hearted < really???

the having gold to sell and get all her money out of savings while the 'wealthy man' her new bf? was out of the room is a mystery?

[Randee]

What's this? Jackanory for grown ups?