Bangkok taxi drives away with tourist’s belongings

[YeaBiGgiEs]

A related topic. All of my shirts have a top pocket, where I keep my mobile and passport when travelling. My wallet is on my person too containing a CC (with a spare in another place!) and I don't carry much cash - most of us (except the poor Iranians) can use an ATM almost anywhere in the world or pay with a CC. I also carry a USB memory stick in my pocket with presentations and work docs for the next few days. I always take my carry on bag inside the taxi with me.

I once had my carry on bag stolen at the downtown check in at Central in Hong Kong - but was still able to travel and borrow a notebook at my next destination (Manila) and make presentations etc. - hence my precautions. Incidentally I reported the stolen bag to the police and much to my surprise there was a message when I checked in at the hotel in Manila from the Wan Chai police that they had recovered my bag and my computer was still in it! It appears that a small gang steals your bag, takes out anything of value like cash (I lost about $200 in odd currencies) then dumps the bag in about 2 minutes. They do this all day in various places in the city. Computers are too hard to cash in.

Could you please tell me where you keep your spare in another place?

[lomatopo]

Two or three weeks ago, there was a similar story - Thonburi? - about a Thai passenger having that happen. She went to the police, they "investigated" but I don't remember any followup.

Seems as if followups are always few and far between.

This driver, who preyed on several Thai people going to the airport, was arrested. I can't find the story, but my vague recollection was that he either pretended to have a problem and require a push to jump start the car, or he would stop for CNG - and drive away once the passenger alighted.

[YeaBiGgiEs]

This is the one advantage of paying the 50baht charge for getting a Taxi in the Que on Level 1. The taxi # is logged and recorded in a book along with your destination at the airport and you are given a receipt. I don't believe taxis can refuse the queue, although some linger around the booth trying to select the ride they want. Being seasoned, I too am guilty of going to the upper level to get a taxi that is just dropping someone, rather than wait in queue off thus having no trace of me, the taxi I entered or my intended destination.

[snake24]

should not be that difficult since all these taxis have gps nowadays. just summon every registered taxi with 8484 plate to the station and download there whereabouts? the question is more wether they really want to arrest him or not..

thai taxis have gps?? It isn't japan/korea and those first world countries.

[thaibeachlovers]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

I would, and have, but it's in a money belt under my pants, not in a bag anyone can steal.

I continually wonder if people leave their brains at immigration, and certainly their common sense has often gone awol.

[snake24]

is that $4000 USD or AUD i wonder.

[jacko45k]

Well it adds some balance to the 'honest taxi driver returns valuables left in taxi' stories I think.

Edited September 15, 2013 by jacko45k

[dotpoom]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Because in Thailand you need cash to pay the police. Would you be interested to know that living in Isaan I am stopped on average 3x a week, for no traffic infractions, everything in order, yet they demand money.....

More than the 100 Baht note that is behind my license which I hand them. The last time it was 300 Baht they wanted...for nothing. I tell them no money 100 Baht only.

I live in Bang Saray and travel to Pattaya at least 4 times weekly by pick-up or motorbike. Along that road there usually is a check point and I have never been asked for money (I have the two licenses required) unless I was caught driving the pick-up on the outside lane, even though I was just overtaking. Pick-ups seemingly should not be on the outside lane which was news to me but confirmed by my wife. When I had my Jeep I was regularly hounded by them and had to show all documents but still no money asked for.

Another interesting fact she brought to my attention regarding the Taxi stunt.is that a friend of her's once noticed a Taxi driver she had hired waving a piece of cloth in front of the air-con but she knew immediately what he was up to, asked him to stop and got out as soon as possible.

Seemingly the cloth would be loaded with something to put the passengers to sleep....worth bearing in mind i think. Obviously I asked how the driver avoided going to sleep also....but as anybody married to a Thai Lady probably knows by now.....it is one of those questions that gets a bit of a "vague" response.....like he was probably wearing a face mask.......or something ???

[Carrerakiss]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Because in Thailand you need cash to pay the police. Would you be interested to know that living in Isaan I am stopped on average 3x a week, for no traffic infractions, everything in order, yet they demand money.....

More than the 100 Baht note that is behind my license which I hand them. The last time it was 300 Baht they wanted...for nothing. I tell them no money 100 Baht only.

You live in the wrong town mate. I pass through police check points all the time and unless I am not wearing a seat belting in the car or helmet if I am on a bike, I never get stopped. Nor would I pay if I was stopped for no reason. There is some semblance of fairness here. Bangkok and highway police, ok, that's another story.

[RBOP]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Because in Thailand you need cash to pay the police. Would you be interested to know that living in Isaan I am stopped on average 3x a week, for no traffic infractions, everything in order, yet they demand money.....

More than the 100 Baht note that is behind my license which I hand them. The last time it was 300 Baht they wanted...for nothing. I tell them no money 100 Baht only.

Seems like the cops now know you and word spreads quickly amongst them....notice to fellow cops...Farang in xxx car easy picken....

[upena]

This is an old scam. Usually the driver claims he ran out of gas and asks passengers to help push.

[hansnl]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Did you, by any chance, read where the people originated?

Yes?

Any idea how (im)possible it it to transfer funds from that country?

By any means, including ATM?

Good.

What then are the alternatives to using cash?

[unanimosity]

hope they catch the driver fast before he sells the belongings

The driver of course will say the passengers got out without paying and liquidating their luggage to pay the fare is justified, and of course the Thai courts will agree with him.

[unanimosity]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Did you, by any chance, read where the people originated?

Yes?

Any idea how (im)possible it it to transfer funds from that country?

By any means, including ATM?

Good.

What then are the alternatives to using cash?

There are these plastic things about the size of a playing card that can, believe it or not, be used to buy things. There is also a new invention called a traveler's check.

[phitsanulokjohn]

In the UK most taxi drivers are scared of who they're gonna pick up, especially in the early hours of Saturday/Sunday morning after all the punters have had a skinful.It's the other way round here.

[unanimosity]

A related topic. All of my shirts have a top pocket, where I keep my mobile and passport when travelling. My wallet is on my person too containing a CC (with a spare in another place!) and I don't carry much cash - most of us (except the poor Iranians) can use an ATM almost anywhere in the world or pay with a CC. I also carry a USB memory stick in my pocket with presentations and work docs for the next few days. I always take my carry on bag inside the taxi with me.

I once had my carry on bag stolen at the downtown check in at Central in Hong Kong - but was still able to travel and borrow a notebook at my next destination (Manila) and make presentations etc. - hence my precautions. Incidentally I reported the stolen bag to the police and much to my surprise there was a message when I checked in at the hotel in Manila from the Wan Chai police that they had recovered my bag and my computer was still in it! It appears that a small gang steals your bag, takes out anything of value like cash (I lost about $200 in odd currencies) then dumps the bag in about 2 minutes. They do this all day in various places in the city. Computers are too hard to cash in.

Could you please tell me where you keep your spare in another place?

It is also wise to carry an old wallet with expired credit cards and a couple hundred baht in it in case of robbery.

[TheSpade]

Another interesting fact she brought to my attention regarding the Taxi stunt.is that a friend of her's once noticed a Taxi driver she had hired waving a piece of cloth in front of the air-con but she knew immediately what he was up to, asked him to stop and got out as soon as possible.

Seemingly the cloth would be loaded with something to put the passengers to sleep....worth bearing in mind i think. Obviously I asked how the driver avoided going to sleep also....but as anybody married to a Thai Lady probably knows by now.....it is one of those questions that gets a bit of a "vague" response.....like he was probably wearing a face mask.......or something ???

This is an absolute myth and an urban legend.

A similar story that does the rounds is about the tourist buses going south to the islands from BKK that the passengers get gassed then robbed.

It would be near impossible to pull off without gassing the driver and attendants or killing someone.

[Torrens54]

I have to wonder if the Iranian gentleman, mentioned in the story, had anything "interesting" in his luggage? Isn't Iran hard at work on developing an Atomic Weapon?

[mikemac]

This is the third incident in threee months. It happened to a teacher at our school 90 days ago, and to another teacher in bangkae. Nothing was recovered. Nothing was done.

Ah-ha ! I am seeing a pattern !

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

(I usually carry more than that with me every time I come back from a working trip in Australia, but I keep it on me at all times, not in a bloody taxi I am pushing down the road !)

Because in Thailand you need cash to pay the police. Would you be interested to know that living in Isaan I am stopped on average 3x a week, for no traffic infractions, everything in order, yet they demand money.....

More than the 100 Baht note that is behind my license which I hand them. The last time it was 300 Baht they wanted...for nothing. I tell them no money 100 Baht only.

If I had to carry 4 grand in tea money I would move to a better neighborhood.

[joboss]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

I reckon it is an attempted scam, maybe insurance. They caught the cab at Suvarnabhumi Airport ?? Where is their docket from the taxi desk?? I hope they get busted and detained until a big donation (I suggest about $4000) is paid to a Thai charity.

[balo]

Why would you carry $4000 cash with you ? So stupid .

.

Did you, by any chance, read where the people originated?

Yes?

Any idea how (im)possible it it to transfer funds from that country?

By any means, including ATM?

Good.

What then are the alternatives to using cash?

Still stupid to keep that amount of cash in a bag inside the taxi. They asked for it.

[dighambara]

hope they catch the driver fast before he sells the belongings

In any other country, the police would put out a bulletin to all police, and send teams to the person's residence & place of work to wait for him to turn up. Newspapers would report the theft and apprehension in the same article.

However, T.I.T. where media alert the taxi driver to the license number and person's name - both of which could be forgeries and could be changed.

[bangkokheat]

if i understand correctly a thief only gets 30 days in thailand, i would assume that would be for a first offence, if that is the case then its well worth the risk

[mikemac]

In any other country............................................................

In any other country, it probably would not even happen. Only in Thailand would you hear of two passengers gullible enough to do what they did, and a taxi driver devious/desperate/stupid enough to come up with this dumb-ass scam.

[LuckyLew]

All my valuables are in my pockets at all times when travelling. Never in a bag that can be lost or stolen. I travel just with carry on luggage so can always put my bag into the back of the car with me.

If someone asked me to get out and push I'd pay the current fair, get out with my bag, and hail another taxi. No way would I get out leaving my stuff in there.

Didn't similar happen not too long ago?

Who writes / proof reads these articles btw...they need fired.

"they need fire" ... I guess they use the same proof reader you use

[ozyjon]

I always sit in the front seat of the taxi and take a photo of the licence just in case and hope they don't steal my phone,,,

[Postmaster]

Harada. No I don't agree with you that its the 'oldest trick in the book' I feel so sad for those people having arrived in a strange country and take a Taxi for

a modicum of safety. To my my mind this is one of the things you would least expect. It certainly wouldn't occur to me that that a public taxi taken from a major international airport would pull this trick. Imagine the inconvenience for those travellers. The mind boggles.

[JoeThePoster]

Happened to a Japanese guy at the golf club. Taxi dropped him off and drove away with his golf bag before he could open the trunk. Apparently, BIB caught him later from CCTV records.

[ajarnmarc]

It seems it's better to criticize some for carry large amounts of cash,

rather than the person who drove away with it.

I saw a backpacker in Hua Hin get jumped,

and she claimed she had 100,000 baht in the bag,

should I look to her as being stupid???

If the answer is yes,

then I guess we shouldn't feel sad that her shoulder was broken from the attack?

People may be naive for letting their guard down,

but it is us that is stupid to not feel any sense of pity for their misfortune,

only assuming that it would or couldn't ever happen to us.

Good luck with your future Balo...

[Bodrules]

All my valuables are in my pockets at all times when travelling. Never in a bag that can be lost or stolen. I travel just with carry on luggage so can always put my bag into the back of the car with me.

If someone asked me to get out and push I'd pay the current fair, get out with my bag, and hail another taxi. No way would I get out leaving my stuff in there.

Didn't similar happen not too long ago?

Who writes / proof reads these articles btw...they need fired.

"they need fire" ... I guess they use the same proof reader you use

Meh proof reading police fail lol