Got Ripped Off By Thai Couple And Police

[ray23]

Well thanks are much easier in Issan and the people generally do try to help you. I remember this poor guy, who didn't understand english and me with no Thai. I asked him where an internet shop was. He pointed in a direction I walked it saw nothing, asked again, tried agian, no. Asked again he pointed the same way. I gaev up and the guy still remained kind. I saw a place called Steves Resturant, OK someone must speak english here, they did.

Sure you can use ours!

Now guess where the old guy was pointing, yep the resturant

You know today I had some work done my bike replace the front and rear wheel bearings, change the front and rear chain sprockets and put on a new chain. 100 baht no they are not all thieves by any means. He got a 50% tip and he was amazed I still got off cheap. He charges me Thia process adn when i can I use his business and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone. Not a fancy shop but a honest guy.

Unless you go down to farrang ville here in Udon, the above is not an unusual thing at all. The work is just as good as any work done by the farrang friendly shops, he just doesn't have anything fancy around. But he deonot spek one word of english, so you need to speak some Thai to get things done.

Sometimes you have to be creative, I knew I could never explain the exact work I wanted done, so I went to the parts dealer the locals use, bought the parts. I handed it to him told him to fix it, he knew what to do. I continue to study Thai simply because I live here. It's my problem if I can't communicate, not the Thais. I can pay more for a english speaking Thai to do the same thing up to me.

Now that being said I don't know if being able to communicate in Thai would make that much difference in a tourist area. Learning Thia is not a light weight thing, you didn't learn to speak in your native language in a few months and your not going to learn Thai without work and years involved. You need a bit more the hello and how are you to communicate

As for the original poster, I'm grateful he took the time to explain what happend also greatful to those who repsonded. I have been living here for over three years and would not have thought of calling the insurance company. Like the original poster I would probably have relied on the Police and obvious mistake. I guarentee my wifes advice would be pay, she is slowly learning to stand up for herself and me if I don't get stupid.

So the asnwers were helpful to me and I will have a direction of atttack in the future. That being said if I'm wrong I will politely pay as well. But thats just me.

[bino]

At the bottom are the trivial scams like a survey for the "school project" and if I am in a playful mood I act like a bewildered tourist and exclaim "no sex!" when they approach to make them think I see them as prostitutes.

How does this scam work?

It isn't a scam at all.

Many teachers encourage university students to practice their English by talking to tourists in the form of a simple interview- where are you from, where are you staying, what do you like about Thailand- that kind of thing.

Quite often they will travel in a group, so that whichever one speaks the most English can lead the way for the others who are not as competent or too shy to speak to a foreign stanger. Often they will have a voice recorder to record the interview or a camera to take a picture of themselves with you.

It happens to me all the time- I am approached by students at least once every three months, and I am always happy to take a moment to help them. I enjoy it, and think that they can be cute sometimes as they shyly struggle to talk to me.

Coder- let me ask you this: Why do you call it a scam? Have these students ever tried to obtain money from you or trick you in some way? Have they ever asked you for anything more than a moment of your time to answer some questions?

Consider this: By treating them to your prostitute routine, you have probably reinforced the reason they are shy to talk to farangs, and reinforced the streotyped notion that all farangs are sex crazy tourists who look down on Thai people and think that Thai women are prostitutes.

If you don't want to talk to them, a simple and polite "no"will suffice. Every Thai university student will understand this word. You don't have to degrade them in the manner that you think is "playful" and quite likely has a lasting negative effect on them and also every foreign person who lives in or visits Thailand.

Edited April 2, 2006 by bino

[jdinasia]

i have never been approached by students wanting to practice English in BKK or PTY ... though I have in NST and in Nakhon Nayok

[Neeranam]

If you don't want to talk to them, a simple and polite "no"will suffice. Every Thai university student will understand this word. You don't have to degrade them in the manner that you think is "playful" and quite likely has a lasting negative effect on them and also every foreign person who lives in or visits Thailand.

[qualtrough]

Totally agree with Bino. I was shopping in Topps at Future Park when I was approached by two young girls with a video camera who wanted to interview me as part of a class project not too long ago. No ulterior motive at all, just a method of improving their English. I recall similar interviews in Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai years ago. Agree too with Bino that calling them prostitutes just confirms negative stereotypes. It does one more thing as well--confirms that the name caller is a moron.

[taxexile]

I act like a bewildered tourist and exclaim "no sex!" when they (schoolgirls) approach to make them think I see them as prostitutes.

It is about refusal to bow to scum that steal .......... innocence from good people.

i'm beginning to think that coder is a little mixed up.

[chuchok]

i have never been approached by students wanting to practice English in BKK or PTY ...

same here.What am I doing wrong?

[RamdomChances]

i have never been approached by students wanting to practice English in BKK or PTY ...

same here.What am I doing wrong?

Same here

[Mel Brooks]

Scam used to be around the Golden Mount. You would be approached by a beautiful student(s), they would be all shy and coy but wanting to practise their English. After a while they would say their sister/cousin/ etc. is a student of Thai Dance and would you like to go and see her sister perform that evening.

You are then picked up from your hotel by the little beauty, taken to a show, where you pay 1000 baht per person to get in and then the beauty is suddenly gone. You watch a god awful show with crap food and 50 other blokes waiting earnestly for their 'date' to return.

I used to send the scammers to hotels all over the city.

[Cpt_M0ney_Sh0t]

but this is thailand and you have to be pragmatic when events like this overtake you.

No you don’t. I don't buy into the mentality "oh, we should give unsavory people our money because Thailand is different; it isn't much money and it is the easiest way out of their scam". This mentality surely breeds scams against farangs.

what exactly would you have done if you were in that situation , down the police station , you have handed over your passport , they have your car and have told you they will impound it.

But guess what, they will impound the scammer's car too. Guess who is going to suffer more? I would feel pretty good about that, except of course the scammer would surely have crumbled and folded before this point and went back for an easier target. If they want to press charges, let them go ahead and prove it. I’ll be like Ray and battle them all the way to the supreme court if that’s what they want to do. One way or the other, they will be the loser in the end.

can you and all those other posters who have said they wont pay , please tell us your "battle plan "

Battle plan is simple. No money leaves my hands. If they threaten, call their bluff. Sometimes they may not be bluffing resulting in downside risks far above paying your way out. But I am comfortable with that because I can keep my dignity and self esteem.

Hey I’ve been there. At the bottom are the trivial scams like a survey for the "school project" and if I am in a playful mood I act like a bewildered tourist and exclaim "no sex!" when they approach to make them think I see them as prostitutes. Long story, but several years ago the highest stakes was when I was threatened with property damage unless I gave money for a crazy extortion scheme. I calmly told the Thai "why wait?" (my favorite line from the movie The Patriot) and he obliged and went to thrashing right there in front of me. After subduing him, the owner called the police who asked to tell what happened. The idiot had dreamed up an incredible story of complete lies and fabrication as I listened in jaw dropping silence. When I told the complete truth as I had nothing to hide he kept interrupting saying I was lying. The police said sorry, we don’t believe either of you. But due to I think this person's having such a belligerent and demeaning attitude to both me and the police, he ended up booked at the station, forced to pay the owner for all of the property damage, and I was released, giving just a wai to the police on the way out and no baht. I am not proud of it; it was an ugly and unfortunate situation that I hope I never, ever am confronted with again. But at least I can live with myself and don’t need to write all the newspapers about a sob story about being the poor helpless farang with no choice.

Well done Coder. It's tough for pepole with little or no spine to really comprehend what it means to stand up for something that dose not nor can not have a dollar value attached to it. Little do they realise that in their aquessence we simply feed them so that they may grow stronger and attack again.

For example, I have a interesting job now, I work for a Iraqi company that supplies goods to American and Multinational forces and companies. We are faced with the dilemma of how to get our trucks past the scum bag mafia like terrorists that patrol the roads leading to the bases. They "in typical freedom fighter like fashion (NOT!) have offered safe passage for what amounts to nothing more than a monthly ransom. Instead we decided it best to spend extra money to hire Ugandan Mercs who will chase these mafia, terrorist, bastards down like the dogs they are and kill them in the street. Vulgar, but better this than to give them money so they can buy more guns and bombs to extort people with and further degrade the country.

It's not pretty but you need to stand up to criminals lest you make them stronger