Got Ripped Off By Thai Couple And Police

[Levent]

This happened yesterday, Thursday. I sent below story to various newspapers, although I don't expect them to print it because of the criticising in it...

FARANG HUNTING

I had read many stories from and about “farangs” (foreigners) being targeted and ripped off in Thailand, and especially in Pattaya, but today I finally experienced it myself. And I don’t mean by bar girls or street vendors.

While parking my car on Pattaya’s Second Road, I was addressed by a Thai man claiming that I had hit his car, which was parked behind mine. Not only did I know 100% sure that I hadn’t, it was also clear that this was impossible. The difference of height between the bumper of his Honda sedan and my Ranger pick-up truck could never mean I impacted his car on the spot he showed me. Besides, the front bumper of the car and the right headlight were completely bashed up already. It was clear that he wanted me to pay for damage already done. The man was raging against me, screaming his lungs out. I thought Thais always maintained a “jai yen” (cool heart)? I certainly did, while I was starting to boil from the inside, and not just because of the burning mid-day sun. His wife happily joined in and wanted me to pay for the damage; I flatly refused. They said they would call the police, which I suggested they should certainly do, and when the officer arrived he had a brief look and said to me that I should pay them something. Again I refused. He took my and the man’s driver’s licences and summoned us to the police station.

Sat in an interrogation room, first the man and his wife told their story. The officer handling the case seemed rather amused, he couldn’t stop laughing. He didn’t seem interested in hearing my version of the happenings; he merely said that I should pay for the damage. If not, he advised me to get a lawyer because we would end up in court. He now also demanded my passport and threatened to check my details with immigration. Not that I had a problem with that, my passport and visa are fine.

All the time the Thai couple was talking to other people in the room, including other officers, and clearly making a joke out of the whole thing. I can’t speak or understand Thai yet and had no idea what was going on, but I did pick up the word “farang” a few times and heard some numbers. They were probably figuring out how much money they could get out of me. I also got the idea that this man and woman knew the police officers quite well and couldn’t help thinking that they probably pull the same scam over and over again. I requested an interpreter, but that request was waved off.

The first officer gave up and another came into the room, to whom I told the whole story again. Now the accusing party suddenly had an eyewitness, a young man who had definitely not been at the scene of the supposed “crash”. To cut a long story short, this officer, although much friendlier than the first one and more fluent in English, also said that my documents would be seized and my car kept at the station and that I would be expected in court to settle the case if I didn’t pay up, and suggested I talk to the woman to solve the problem. Supposedly they had checked the cars and determined that the paint on the bumper of their car was from mine. Never mind that the paint was brown, while my car is silver… She wanted 2000 baht for the “damage”; I gave her 1000 to get it over with, which she frowned upon but nevertheless took, and I politely requested my documents back. After waiting for another 45 minutes, the officer who had taken my licence and passport returned and made me pay another 400 baht as a “fine.” For what? For being a farang? I went through three hours of injustice and still walked out of the police station feeling like a criminal, being made to pay because of the colour of my skin.

I lived in Pattaya ten years ago and liked it that much that I decided to come back. But what happened today is a serious black mark in my estimation of Thai people and the police system. One of the reasons I left my home country of Holland was the ever-present racism in society. Today, after nine months here, I have been confronted with racism in a country that profiles itself as a friendly, peaceful, multicultural society. Land of Smiles? Sure, especially for the ones who smile while robbing you. Just because I am a foreigner doesn’t mean I am rich and can be ripped off. I have worked hard to earn my money. The couple that has robbed me today, with assistance of the police, has plainly lied and taken my money. They are the ones who should be taken to court, not me. I have no big problem with double pricing policies for attraction entrance fees, for example. I know that most Thai people live on the edge of poverty. But to target farangs this way is truly disgraceful. I really feel like a walking target with a baht-sign on my forehead. Not only has Pattaya changed dramatically over the past ten years, especially as far as crime rates are concerned, but it appears that many people have forgotten about moral values and mutual respect. Thais generally still are lovely and honest people, and I know that the thieves who got me today are representing only a minority of the population. But still, what happened today hurts badly and it’s something I will not forget very soon. Especially since the police have helped them get away with it, the very same police that have “to serve and to protect” as their motto.

Should I have paid the couple there and then and driven off? Probably, that seems the way it works. But by doing so I would be admitting guilt while I know I was innocent. By doing so, I would just be another farang being ripped off. In the end I still got ripped off, but at least they had a hard one to crack in my case. Maybe I should have called the Dutch embassy, although I suspect that they would have advised me to pay up anyway. I probably just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As far as the couple is concerned: I don’t suppose they will use the 1000 baht to repair the car, will they? Unfortunately I haven’t written down their car’s registration. But if you ever get harassed by a crazy, skinny man and a chubby woman wearing a thick necklace and golden earrings and driving a silver Honda sedan with a bashed up front bumper, be aware. You might be their next victim. And guess who paid for her jewellery?

[LaoPo]

Unbelievable story and sad at the same time.

Yes, you were at the wrong place at the wrong time and met the wrong people AND Police a disgrace

Very difficult to get out of such a situation but you did good to write to the newspapers. Hopefully they will print it.

Maybe there are some ThaiVisa-people in Pattaya who know what to do....I wouldn't know, sorry!

Wish you all the best.

Edit:

Just saw in your profile you have quite a bit of experience of writing for Thai magazines and newspapers and the like.

Hope you can ask one or more of your contacts to follow-up this 'adventure', not one of the most pleasant ones I presume.

LaoPo

Edited March 31, 2006 by LaoPo

[Kerryd]

They said they would call the police, which I suggested they should certainly do, and when the officer arrived he had a brief look and said to me that I should pay them something.

As always (in Thailand) the best thing to do is call your insurance company right away, before calling the police. I have my insurance company's number in my phone, just in case.

I've heard a few stories of farangs being blamed for causing an accident, only to have the insurance company rep over-rule the police after reviewing the situation (like most places, the insurance companies here don't want to have to pay out on a claim if they don't have to).

Too late now in this case obviously. While it's not right, getting away with only paying 1,400 baht in total was pretty lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

[Mighty Mouse]

An unfortunate incident. There are lessons in this story that we all should learn.

Although his wife is not an independent witness, she is still a witness. Throw in an independent witness who conveniently materialised out of thin air, and the police would find it difficult not to accept their version of events.

Perhaps if you had your camera with you at the time and photographed both vehicles in situ, you may have been able to prove your point about the height difference of each vehicle and why your car couldn't have caused the damage claimed.

Had the police done their job properly, they would have made an official record of this "accident."

Should the Thai couple try to pull this scam again, the official police record would show that this couple have had this "accident" before and are obvious con artists.

[lampard10]

While I feel sorry for the individuals involved, I don't think that all the Police should be tarred with the same brush. I was driving back home from the Pub, here in Surin one day, and as I was passing a lorry, he pulled out for no reason. It knocked the rear bumper/fender off the car completely and left a long groove down the side. The man pulled over and apologised profusley, indicating that he hadn't seen me. By the time the Police arrived, the man in colusion with three workers sitting on the back of the lorry, swore blind that I had pulled out in front of HIM. Our insurances were exchanged, and, because I had a higher class of insurance than the firm owning the lorry, the man was asked to pay for the damage on the spot, rather than take the matter further, which he agreed and handed over 6,000 Baht. Okay, I'm very well known around the city and most of the Police know me, but I do not think that had much to do with it. The Policeman actually believed me. The gentleman in the above story should have immediatly called the insurance company, however little the damage, because believe me, insurance companies do not like to pay out when it is someone elses fault. And anyway, if the guy was lying, it probably would have called his bluff.

[jdinasia]

Insurance company first thing is the right way to deal with it ... if really being screwed call a lawyer :-)

[wca01]

Prehaps time for you to learn some Thai.

WCA

[terdsak_12]

You should have called your insurance people, they would have sorted it for you. Living in Thailand, people should really learn some of the lingo, makes these problems disapear quickly.

[chanchao]

Learning some Thai works wonders. If you're here long enough to buy a truck then you're here long enough to learn the languange and get first grade insurance, who can do the arguing for you.

BTW, some guy actually scratched my car while parking, so I waited for him to return and got some money from him for damages. Life doesn't always have to be a struggle, though I fully agree you can get unlucky, as everywhere.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[h5n1]

dude - i would write a LETTER to your embassy and detail all officers involved and cc: all western embassies. perhaps go to bkk and have it out with someone who will listen.

this really does lay bare what thailand actually is. pattaya especially should be way more pro foreigner.

pls do something - so many people shrug off injustice. it really bugs. bunch of polyannas.

if foreigners were really clever they would stop all the docantions to causes and start ramping up politically - treated like dogs.

[taxexile]

pls do something - so many people shrug off injustice. it really bugs. bunch of polyannas.

agreed.

whether you will achieve anything though is another matter , lowrent shakedowns like this are not isolated occurences and there is no shortage of rogue police in thailand who enjoy the power that a uniform brings.

unfortunately , there are few if any systems in place in this country to police the police.

backing up and proving your case though is just about impossible.

the press in your country should be informed along with the embassies in bangkok , and travel magazines and webboards.

thais hate to see adverse criticism of their perfect country , and who knows , someone may take some action that starts a wheel turning in some government department that years down the line will result in some checks and balances on incidents like this.

most thais would be just as outraged at this shakedown as you are.

as others have said , you should have called the cnuts bluff and called the insurance.

hindsight ! dont you just hate it.

in your case , you probably had no choice but to pay what with the police threatening to impound your car etc.

[Gary A]

I agree with the other posters. Hopefully you won't be in any hurry but they might be after you offer to call your insurance company. Your insurance company is the best representative you could have and they have seen all the scams. I would bet they would have gotten their car and left.

[girlx]

maybe he didn't have insurance... in which case he is lucky it was only 1400b.

[Neeranam]

If there were a bunch of rich foriegners in my country, who couldn't speak a word of the language(and didn't try), the same kind of thing would happen, especially if they were only there to shag the local girls, which most of the farang in Pattaya are there for. When you live in the world's largest brothel(as a foriegner) do you really expect to be treated with fairness and respect??

Pattaya is not the real Thailand, it's a fantasy world. This kind of thing would never happen in Isarn.

As others have said - phone the insurance first.

The way it works here is who you know - try to get to know some 'big' Thai people.

I had an accident in my car where the guy tried to say it was my fault.

I called the insurance and a "poo yai". If you don't even know what a "poo yai", and you live in Thailand, then I guess you deserve everything you get.

I got the guy to admit fault, pay me compensation of 25,000 baht, hospital bills, and repair my car(actually ended up buying me a new one).

When you can't beat them - join them. This a corrupt country, if you don't learn how to use it to your advantage, it's your problem.

Edited March 31, 2006 by Neeranam

[cooL_guY_corY]

These are people who are called "Rabid Thais" its funny you mention the lady was fat because out of all my encounters with Rabid Thais, large women have usually been involved, they will yell and scream utter baloney and gather as much people as they can to help them. You cant blame the police, there job is based on getting money for free, that is how the police force in the tropics work. They buy their own motorbikes, weapons, boots, etc and there wages are not very good. It could be them getting 50 bahts for a speeding ticket for themselves rather then 300 for the government, or if there lucky they could be cashing in with a farang, anytime i have seen the police in similar situations it usually comes out the same; a bit of money for the thais (civilians ) and a bit of money for the officer. Now you can not right off the police as a whole, its good to have some police officers on your phone / as your friends especially if you have a problem with other farangs, because the polices greed will motivate them to believe what ever story works out best for THEM not for either of the parties involved, i mean what would the police officer get out of letting the farang and thai couple go with out getting any money ? nothing. Now there are good police officers out there and not all of them are bad people, but, it will always be about the bahtz. I remember getting a visa extension in patong (ya i know bad example) and having to pay 20 bahts extra, same with my friend, for no reason, with out that getting shown on the reciept, weird cause it was 10 minutes before lunch time, and 40 bahts can get a yummy meal. All you can remember is that you will always lose if your by your self and having some issues in the tropics. If you have friends (thai) with you or contacts, or if your truly fluent, then you should be able to hold your own, but if not then heads up...

[taxexile]

Perhaps the said victim should have gotten the UN involved too?

nah , why bother.

injustices , small and large , racism , bullying and the indifference of many of our hosts to the corruption that holds thailand back from ever becoming a truly free and beautiful country , and indeed their willingness to profit from it and their cynicism towards it are all part and parcel of life here.

why complain , why even dream of improving anything , i might have to get of my arse and do something.

hey ! i'm alright jack.

Edited March 31, 2006 by taxexile

[monochaser]

Pal, you shoulda paid them off at the scene. That would have been the best $25 you ever spend to avoid all the aggravation that followed. Speaking Thai would not have helped you in the least here so pay no mind to that BS. They were out to get cash from you regardless. My advice to anyone in Thailand is do not own or drive a vehicle of any kind as it is just asking for problems. I never understand why anyone would do this. Transportation is so dirt cheap in this country that there is no need to drive yourself. Go with the Greyhound slogan and leave the driving to someone else and your life will be free of much aggravation. As for hanging in Pattaya, good choice; sack that car and hop in the 5 baht trucks. It's not like you live in issan or something where the nearest 7/11 is a thousand miles away. LOL

[The Coder]

Never mind that the paint was brown, while my car is silver… She wanted 2000 baht for the “damage”; I gave her 1000 to get it over with

And you wonder why farangs get targeted...they willingly hand out cash for nothing.

[lordofdelusion]

Pal, you shoulda paid them off at the scene. That would have been the best $25 you ever spend to avoid all the aggravation that followed. Speaking Thai would not have helped you in the least here so pay no mind to that BS. They were out to get cash from you regardless. My advice to anyone in Thailand is do not own or drive a vehicle of any kind as it is just asking for problems. I never understand why anyone would do this. Transportation is so dirt cheap in this country that there is no need to drive yourself. Go with the Greyhound slogan and leave the driving to someone else and your life will be free of much aggravation. As for hanging in Pattaya, good choice; sack that car and hop in the 5 baht trucks. It's not like you live in issan or something where the nearest 7/11 is a thousand miles away. LOL

Abso-friken-lutely!! Aside from getting killed, the expense and the hassel of vehicle ownership is just not worth it. Take a taxi or better yet you can hire a driver and car in most places to be like a Chaffuer. MUCH cheaper than owning, insuring, etc;

[rishi]

In case one neither have an insurance, nor know some Thai big guy, nor speak the language - one could try to play the game as if.

Learn the Thai words for 'insurance company', 'Thai big guy' and 'big boss police officer'. Utter these frases, pull out your cell-phone and make it look like you're making a couple of phonecalls.

When finished your phoney phonecalls, lean back on your car with a relaxed and self satisfied expression on your face. If spoken to, make a tiny gesture with your hand to recognize you've heard them talking, but you really don't want to discuss matters at this moment. Since they know they're scamming you, chances are they might chicken out. In any case - it's a free try.

[taxexile]

please be so good as to tell us what would you have done with the licence plate number ,

[robitusson]

Was there any chance of just buggering off as soon as the problem erupted?

[Levent]

All this over $30 - I can't believe how thick your head is. Worse, you didn't think of getting their license plate number. Dumb, dumb, dumb...

Yes, maybe dumb for not getting the number, but for what?

As for "all this over $30" - no, I don't agree. So if someone walks up to you and wants $30 you just pay, do you? If everyone keeps doing that, the problem will not only never be solved but get worse. I didn't get that money in my hands for nothing - I worked for it. Why should I give it to someone else just like that?

Thanks for the advices about the insurance reps - next time, if it happens again, I will immediately call them and take pics of the scene.

[britmaveric]

Insurance would have been the way to handle this. I guaranteed that would have put a damper on their expectations.

[Levent]

Was there any chance of just buggering off as soon as the problem erupted?

You should have seen the guy, he was absolutely crazy. Never saw a guy with such a look in his eyes, and he was screaming like hel_l. No Jai Yen whatsoever...

No, first he banged on my window and then pulled the door open. Believe me, I wanted to punch him knock out there and then, but then I would surely have ended up in jail.

As for being able to speak Thai: I have a farang friend who is married to a Thai lady and speaks Thai fluently. He got into a similar situation and still ended up paying. The question is not whether you speak Thai or not, it's what colour your skin is. I hoped to have escaped racism upon leaving Europe...

[Neeranam]

Alternatively, if you can speak Thai tell them where to go and drive off.

[Joey Boy]

A police man crashed into me once on his motor bike in Hua Hin, they told me to goto the straight to the police station which I did via the tourist police booth

Although none of the other officers which were nearby during the accident actually said that he had pulled out infront of me (which they obviously saw, as he was pulling accross the road to speak to them), they didn't give false statements saying it was my fault either. Though the police man involved tried blaming me. I argued for 15 minutes but realised that I was wasting my time, the toruist police guy basically told me to sign this statement written in Thai, pay up, and I would be out of the door in 5 minutes.

Im not really sure what happened in the end, if it was recorded as my fault or not. But I had to give him 5'000 baht for a new uniform and a few days off work, as he was bust up pretty bad and his uniform was ripped to shreds

From what I remember, he was wanting 15'000. But when I started talking about calling my (imaginary) friend @ the UK Embassy they all got a bit worried, and asked how much I would like to pay, to which the tourist police guy suggested 5'000.

[Maejo Man]

Abso-friken-lutely!! Aside from getting killed, the expense and the hassel of vehicle ownership is just not worth it. Take a taxi or better yet you can hire a driver and car in most places to be like a Chaffuer. MUCH cheaper than owning, insuring, etc;

...and I thought all kiddies were having their afternoon nap

[LaoPo]

Reading some of the comments of you guys, I feel it's unbelievable that a lot of you just accept a behaviour like this....just because it's Thailand?

Would YOU have accepted a screaming, lying guy like that in your own home-country?

I think it's a very frustrating experience and of course...AFTER the whole thing happened everybody knows what to do or what NOT to do.

The experience remains the same and is not a happy one.

I have had the same experience, more or less, in a Jomtien hotel where they were 'screwing' me off for the hotel-rate-room when I was leaving.

There was just 1 guy...the moment he started sreaming there were about 7 of them....all supporting him.

Bad for your heart and....yes, ending up in paying...the b_stards.

Thai smile and hospitality? ...certainly not always.

LaoPo

[Stephen Cleary]

I have had the same experience, more or less, in a Jomtien hotel where they were 'screwing' me off for the hotel-rate-room when I was leaving.

There was just 1 guy...the moment he started sreaming there were about 7 of them....all supporting him.

Bad for your heart and....yes, ending up in paying...the b_stards.

Thai smile and hospitality? ...certainly not always.

LaoPo

they were 'screwing' me

ending up in paying...the b_stards.

Thai smile and hospitality?

So, this is what the Farang in Pattaya think of the local people? Calling Thai people b@stards and 'screwing' as quoted above is completely way out of order....