Got Ripped Off By Thai Couple And Police

[kkf123]

10 years and you cant speak thai? LOL

[psychedelix47]

What happened is terrible, those mad ripper-offs will have a really really bad karma, don't you worry!

[Maejo Man]

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....

When one gets "screwed" one is normally pretty pissed off, and states the obvious. I also noticed your last few posts seem to be directly related to your blood pressure

Have you considered a holiday lately? Maybe a cooler climate perhaps

[kkf123]

There have been many instances where a thai person has approached me and it is obvious that they are up to no good. My immediate reaction is to completely avoid eye contact with them, smile, and say no thank you firmly and immediately walk in the other direction.

It works wonders!

When it was obvious that they were ripping you off, why did you give them the time of day?

[LaoPo]

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....

I was referring to the people involved and yes, they were Thai; that doesn't mean ALL Thai people are the same. Most of them are kind and nice; not so the one(s) I was referring to.

In this case? YES. That doesn't mean there aren't the same 'classification' people all around the world...also in your and my country where ever you or I come from.

LaoPo

[gburns57au]

First off....knowing Thai is a big advantage...it saved me not only from being ripped off but also from being hurt....I also displayed a certain amount of indignation....To explain...Quite a few years ago now....Bar in Patpong that wanted to charge a 700 baht room fee for a rather shabby bunk bed in the back of the bar...I refused to pay...This huge Thai guy came out and said rather menacingly that you must pay room...to this point I had not spoken any Thai....I hit him with a tirade of Thai telling him that I had been there many times and had many friends who were policemen, I told that I was going to get my friend the policeman......result....he said Ok sir just pay for your drinks and I walked out....about 30 metrea away I breathed a huge sigh of relief. So dont underestimate the use of Thai as a weapon against being scammed. Reading it has also prevented me from being overcharged for purchases. Many scammers once they realise that you not Mr Tourist will back down.

Other ruses can also be used to put them off....pretend to ring your embassy, insurance, imaginary friends in high places, taking pictures of the scene....

They scam you because they think they can outsmart you....just be smarter than them....never ever pay them.

[robitusson]

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...

Easier said than done but if I was ever in a situation like that I'd just get out of there as quick as humanly possible. There's little they can do if you're gone. I always, always presume that if someone makes an issue of something, the Farang will always be wrong.

[The Coder]

The question is not whether you speak Thai or not, it's what colour your skin is.

Skin color MAY have been the reason you were selected, but YOU are the reason you got scammed. You knew it was a scam from the beginning and played along with just feeble objections. You made a decision to hand out cash for something you had nothing to do with, then another decision to fork out more to the police all on your own. You are lucky the maid wasn't around or having seen your generosity she'd probably have asked for 20 baht or so that you would have paid. They asked for money, you delivered in order to make the situation go away so stop blaming them. It seems in hind sight you regret the outcome. Hopefully a lesson was learned somewhere in there.

[chuchok]

The question is not whether you speak Thai or not, it's what colour your skin is.

Skin color MAY have been the reason you were selected, but YOU are the reason you got scammed. You knew it was a scam from the beginning and played along with just feeble objections. You made a decision to hand out cash for something you had nothing to do with, then another decision to fork out more to the police all on your own. You are lucky the maid wasn't around or having seen your generosity she'd probably have asked for 20 baht or so that you would have paid. They asked for money, you delivered in order to make the situation go away so stop blaming them. It seems in hind sight you regret the outcome. Hopefully a lesson was learned somewhere in there.

What would you have done?

[ray23]

The insurance company was the best anwer I have heard, I will remebrer that one. I've only had one accident. The Thia guy was definetly at fault and at no time did anyone suggest I pay anything. However my wife had already been admitted to the hospital, the hospitals rep drove me to the Police station, after soeme emergency treatment to make a report. I was rather surprised that the Police wouldn't come to the hopsital to make the report but that was what I was told. It was a hit and run accident, the front license plate was knocked off the truck. I knew there would be serious money inviolved the guy broad sided my 750 CC motorcycle and knocked it 60 feet. It's an old bike and wieghs over 600 Lbs. The police contacted me and wanted to sit up an interview the following day, we were still in the hospital I told them I would contact them upon our release and make the appointment after I spoke to my attorney. No I wasn't kidding with all the horror stories I had heard. But this wan't over 2k baht it was more like 250k involved between the damage to both vehicle and the hopital costs. I paid 5K fee to for my attorney to attend with me. The other persons vehicle was in impound until the meeting.

By the time of the meeting the owners of the vehilcle found the driver of thier vehicle and brought him to the Police Station. The guy tried the farrang game and before my attorney could even speak the Thai cop read him the riot act which ended with you pay. I got the settlement that I wanted, the alternative was that we were going to court and the Thai guys vehicle would remain with the Police until after the trial.

But I don't live in Pattaya I live in Udon, so far it isn't open season on farrangs here.

I think the first clue would have been the guy creating a scene, that was no acccident. He wanted you to settle there so he could line up his next victim and make more money for the day. I realize that in the end you got the shaft, but more then likely he lost money that day, since you had him tied up in the Police Station.

Con artist work tourist spots everywhere and many in colusion with the local cops.

At this juncture, I think you really need to calm down a bit and decide what to do next. You live there so are your ready for what may follow if you pursue this. That is a decesion that only you can make and nobody on this forum is going to walk in your shoes when it said and done. If you decide to fight , then your enbassy by all means and then file formal complaint with the Chief of Police. Be ready to be called a liar again and have the deck stacked against you. if you don't get satisfction there then be perpared to take right up the ladder until there is no place else to go. I don't think artilcles in News papers is the route to go, they do have a law here about causing people to lose face and I don't think the truth has much to do with it. Now keep in mind I'm not saying it's right I'm just saying it's there and tool that can be used agianst you.

I have a 400 K lawsuit against a builder now, his defence I caused him to lose face and he is countering suing for another 100K. Now I already have been told by everyone that I dont stand a chance in winning that I should have just taken the junk house he built lose 1.5% mil and chalk it up to experience.

Well, I thought it through, I checked what his connections were, he has some he has money, but no mafai connections, so that lessens the chances of being killed over this. This guy has done this to many farrangs but so you think one would step forward, no they wouldn't you see it's much easier to talk about it then it is to do it. I thought it through and have the conviction to keep going with this if I lose in Local court then I will appeal it and go the next step until I have exhausted all the avenues. So I can tell you when this is over if you stand a chance in a Thai court, but I didn't base my decesions of rumors over heard in bars.

So I think your next step would be do I just want to complain and vent and if so nothing wrong with that. But if the answer is no the you are the only person who can decide if 1400 baht is worth it to you to continue.

The truth is to many farrangs fold because they don't know how things work and feel threatened because of it. the Thai's know that and expect you to just pay, since most of us do.

Your racist comment about Thailand, this is the most classest and racist society I have ever lived in. I knew that when I came here, the difference here is your the minority here that is just a fact you need to deal with to have any peace in your life.

That being said I also have more happiness here then I have anywhere else, so thats the cost of doing business. If you have researched local history here you will find that this is nothing new. It's been going on here for a very long time.

So no one makes us stay we decide that no one else. We are not going to change Thailand it's not ours to change. I choose not to live in a tourist area because even with as much postives there are there are more negatives for me. Pattaya isn't Thailand it's an adult Disney Land, and if that is what makes you happy then it is the palce for you, but there are other places to live.

I'm sorry for your troubles.

[Phil Conners]

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.

I wonder where you are from. From the places I have lived around in Europe I have never seen such racism.

I know what a Poo Yai is, know of several, and make sure I avoid them at all cost. I don't associate with that kind of people and I'm sure there are many like me who don't want to be shafted, who want to see justice served without bribery and nepotism.

The OP should of course have called his insurance company right away but if he is not familiar with the very special conditions here how was he to know. In any other civilized country you call the cops when you have a problem like this.

Don't pull the old TIT. This is not the stone age anymore.

[Donz]

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.

I wonder where you are from. From the places I have lived around in Europe I have never seen such racism.

I know what a Poo Yai is, know of several, and make sure I avoid them at all cost. I don't associate with that kind of people and I'm sure there are many like me who don't want to be shafted, who want to see justice served without bribery and nepotism.

The OP should of course have called his insurance company right away but if he is not familiar with the very special conditions here how was he to know. In any other civilized country you call the cops when you have a problem like this.

Don't pull the old TIT. This is not the stone age anymore.

So you think Thailand is a very racist country??

Usually the minority in any country are the ones who get it.

Its bad when these things happend and the cops get involved too, ive been in that situation before and its not a great feeling

[Levent]

10 years and you cant speak thai? LOL

I suppose this is for me? Read my story again. It says I lived in Pattaya and came back. It doesn't say I've been living in Pattaya. You're welcome to post a comment, but read first. And yes, I am trying to learn Thai but contrary to most farang men here I am not with a Thai lady and therefore it's a bit harder.

Back to the subject. I will be one of the last to accuse someone of racism without reason. As son from a mixed marriage (Dutch/Turkish, with more Oriental than European looks) I have suffered from racism many times, and I still do as many people seem to believe that someone who looks Middle-Eastern is a potential terrorist. As said before, one of the reasons I left Holland was the racism in society. And now I am seeing it here. So yes, it's very disappointing.

Of course there are good and bad Thais, just like there are good and bad people all over the world. Although the climax, this scam was not the first time I've been targeted. OK, maybe it's my problem, maybe I am too soft and too nice. Well, I was brought up to be nice and kind to others. But to suffer from people who are liars and on top of that be targeted by the police too?

Yes, I have learned a lesson from what happened. And many of you have given good advice. It's not about paying 1400 baht.

And no, i haven't come to Pattaya to fool around with girls. I have a happy relationship with a farang lady. I (we) chose Pattaya because of its many amenities and proximity to BKK. But that's off-topic.

[fanta rood]

Come back to Holland if you dont like it. Racism shouldnt affect you there but it does affect you here

Or this should be the perfect excuse to learn some thai. You had 10 years the time to do it. 10 years! Btw no offense but in my eyes you are the bad guy not them (ok ok both of you)

[chuchok]

Come back to Holland if you dont like it. Racism shouldnt affect you there but it does affect you here

Or this should be the perfect excuse to learn some thai. You had 10 years the time to do it. 10 years! Btw no offense but in my eyes you are the bad guy not them (ok ok both of you)

did you read and understand his posts.....????

[taxexile]

It's not about paying 1400 baht.

quite right.

its about the fact that a foriegner here can be scammed by a local in collusion with the police , and there is very little he can do to obtain justice.

in the west we are used to a higher level of fairness in society. there are checks and balances to prevent incidents such as the above from happening.

disadvantaged thais suffer much worse at the hands of the powerful and influential and like the o.p. have no recourse to justice.

but i dont think any of us would have reacted differently.

when the police have your passport , and threaten to impound your car , what are you going to do.

call a lawyer and risk another scam , lawyers and courts here are not known for their impartiality either.

call the police's bluff , and risk all kinds of nonsense to avoid them losing face ? no way. they have all the time in the world to sit it out.

by not calling the insurance , the poster set in motion a chain of events that had only one outcome.

falang pays , drinks all round to the thais.

lesson learned .

[britmaveric]

On a happy note - could have been much more expensive.

[Neeranam]

I know what a Poo Yai is, know of several, and make sure I avoid them at all cost. I don't associate with that kind of people and I'm sure there are many like me who don't want to be shafted, who want to see justice served without bribery and nepotism.

I wonder if you or others would say the same if your father-in-law, for example, was the head of police or other 'poo yai'.

[raybkk]

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.

Well I must have been lucky. The other week in Bangkok I braked but touched a very Old taxy. The accident had no impact at my car whatsoever (just license plate). Looking at his rear end I noticed a lot of damage but not from me as the only thing that touched the taxi was my license plate. Long story short... he wanted 6000 baht for a new bumper as the car he drove was rented from the taxi rental company. I told him to get lost and that I would considder Baht 500.- as a waiste of our time... again he insisted Baht 6000.- Now the funny part comes in. I told him that if he wants Baht 6000.- he should call the police or otherwise I will call my insurrance company. Ofcourse he insisted on the police so we waited 10 minutes. The police arrived, inspected and said to the Taxi driver "what is the problem" Taxi driver pointed at his taxis bumper. Officer started laughing and told him "you want 6000 baht for that?" Your old banger is not even worth the money... in fact he should take it of the road cause your car isn't safe! Adding that he must have pulled that stunned of more often as he never repaired previous accident! Furher did he tell the Taxi driver that if he cant afford to rent a new taxi and therefor cant make good money he shouldn't abuse other drivers.

The police told me to get on the road without paying so I left.

Funny also to mention was that I pretended toward the taxi that I couldn't speak thai much. But when the police arrived I spoke fluent Thai.... must have been the shocking part for the Taxi.

Anyway, Yes I hit him first but there was no damage nor scratch marks whatsoever. I appologized but he wouldn't bend and got greedy.

There really are a lot of honest coppers out here in Bangkok. In fact if you do speak the language you can avoid a lot of hassle.

[fanta rood]

Come back to Holland if you dont like it. Racism shouldnt affect you there but it does affect you here

Or this should be the perfect excuse to learn some thai. You had 10 years the time to do it. 10 years! Btw no offense but in my eyes you are the bad guy not them (ok ok both of you)

did you read and understand his posts.....????

Read his first posts and read a few of his other posts quickly. Are you talking about his post just above mine?

[raybkk]

Come back to Holland if you dont like it. Racism shouldnt affect you there but it does affect you here

Or this should be the perfect excuse to learn some thai. You had 10 years the time to do it. 10 years! Btw no offense but in my eyes you are the bad guy not them (ok ok both of you)

Hey! I am dutch too? What is the problem.. he just shares his incident with us!

Moderators.... can you please ban me cause I am getting tiered of such silly replies!

[Maejo Man]

Come back to Holland if you dont like it. Racism shouldnt affect you there but it does affect you here

Or this should be the perfect excuse to learn some thai. You had 10 years the time to do it. 10 years! Btw no offense but in my eyes you are the bad guy not them (ok ok both of you)

did you read and understand his posts.....????

Read his first posts and read a few of his other posts quickly. Are you talking about his post just above mine?

It's getting late FF and if you can't take the time to read posts properly....Quit while you are ahead!!

[fanta rood]

Alright I read all of his posts again. I disqualified his last post cause that was not my fault (look at the times!)

Ok he left and came back. But does that mean he cannot learn thai in 10 years? You dont have to learn thai in thailand

[fanta rood]

Maejo Man

[Jeff1]

The OP was not the brightest of people and got had ... a phone call to the insurance Co would have solved it ... and chanchao is right .. knowing Thai would have helped ...

How many times have you spent 1400 baht on something stupid ? Never , right ?

I guess " bright " is repeating " call the insurance company "

[sramkok-pratum]

This tip is from my thai friend , He made a lot stickers and put on the car to make it look like his car get pass in and out at congress, The other stickers look like a serious goverment logo . He said it scare some people off, that this owner of this car is VIP or know someone in high place . I never try it , I think it's a little fraud

[Neeranam]

My wife insisted on "I love the King" sticker which may help in some circumstances. I think it stops those crazy pick-up drivers from getting right up my a**e at 150km/hour.

[opothai]

having read this thread through, i think some of you lot need a serious injection of reality.

lets take it that the op has no reason to lie, and indeed i have seen scams on the same line of thought, so i am thinking yes this is a disgrace and something should be done to curb this sort of scam.

to my disbelief i see posters critisising the op and he has done nothing wrong at all.

constructive help was needed and he got shot down by x amount of members

are we here to help each other or criticise.

we all don't mind a bit of a p+ss take out of some situations, and it does lighten up some posts, but some of the replies here were not taking the p+ss just down right negative, even to the extent of som na na.

very sad lads

[agsnowdon]

having read this thread through, i think some of you lot need a serious injection of reality.

lets take it that the op has no reason to lie, and indeed i have seen scams on the same line of thought, so i am thinking yes this is a disgrace and something should be done to curb this sort of scam.

to my disbelief i see posters critisising the op and he has done nothing wrong at all.

constructive help was needed and he got shot down by x amount of members

are we here to help each other or criticise.

we all don't mind a bit of a p+ss take out of some situations, and it does lighten up some posts, but some of the replies here were not taking the p+ss just down right negative, even to the extent of som na na.

very sad lads

I agree 100%

But say this.

If you had first class insurance you should have called them, all your problems would have gone away.

Speaking Thai would have helped a bit but if you don't speak it you don't speak it. We don't know your situation on that.

I had a motor bike plow up my ass on monday and it was 100% his fault, guess who had to pay out me?

I had just got a pickup and the insurance it came with wasn't first class and was finishing in may so mu girlfriend and I decided to get first class once finished, ok maybe we should have got it sooner but she insited we would be ok.

Anyway I got to the police station today and was done over completly. I had to pay 5000bht for something I didnt do, it was obvious there was something going on between the other guy's family and the police.

We had seperate interviews is that a norm, my partner seems to think not! once we told our story he then brought the other family in and said he couldnt decide whose fault it was and said it would go to court if we didn't settle there.

The guy hit me completly up the ass and wrote of his bike and fcuked my bumper and pull down boot bit.

My partner talked to them and like I said paid 5000bht and now got to pay to fix my pick up.

I'm gonna do a post on this tomrorrow as too angray today but as I saw this I thought i'd post.

Like opothai says I will be after support, not you shud have got your insurance upgraded you should have done this bla bla bla. I want replies on my situation.

Well sorry if I moaned but you try getting smacked up the ass and getting fcuked over by police and the guy.

Also im not sayin all police are bad, but there are some.

[bangkokblue]

Next time any of you guy's get caught likewise and havn't got a high ranking calling card ( Now that can do wonders- reverse charge call i call it ) Then ask to see the senior officer on duty to clarify your guilt and regardless of the obvious outcome tell him you request the names and address of the other party because it's your intention to get the best lawyer in Bangkok to sue thier arse for every bht they have or don't have. Or simply bit your tongue and get on with life.