An attempted Scam Failed[Scam Survivors]Share Your Story

[Mangosteen1]

OK I will tell a very simple story how I saved another guy from getting beaten up by taxi drivers: he was surrounded by 10 taxi drivers and wasn't allowed to leave. they were really going to beat him up. he didn't have enough cash that day, intoxicated and stupid enough to enter the taxi without enough cash, so in the end he couldn't pay the taxi trip. I didn't know the guy but I had seen him once before. I asked the drivers how much money is missing. they said 130 baht. I payed the 130 baht and he was out of trouble that day. The guys I was with knew him much better than me but they still didn't want to save him from that situation. we later became friends

Soooooo...the reality was this wasn't really a SCAM!....Just another drunk idiot who got himself in a jam....Kudos to you for getting him out of it ....but from what you told us I can see why the guy who knew him better didn't get involved.

They didn't because o the tense situation. he was really seconds from getting beaten up. and they probably knew how he was. cuz this wasn't gonna be the last time he got himself into trouble in Thailand.

[nickmanchester2]

I was on koh san road and a bloke said i was a lucky man and then said he would guess 3 things about me and if he got them right, i would give him 20k or something like that

1 my dob

2 my gf name

3 i forget what

Anyway i had to go down a side street with him and write down these 3 things without him seeing... well he guessed them all right and demanded the 20k - i got out of the scam by saying 'no' and started walking off he said that i would die on my travel but obviously i didnt

Id like to know how he managed to see what i wrote maybe a mirror behind me or maybe he was for real either way, he was not happy

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[samran]

Farang bloke came up to my wife (a kiwi) in the supermarket the other day here in BKK when she was down one of the quieter parts of the shop.

Gave her a big sob story about how he'd been out at Soi Cowboy the night before and had his cash taken, and needed just a few hundered baht to get through before he could organise a transfer.

She told him where to shove it.

[Mangosteen1]

Does OP have any other examples of foreigners scamming Thais?

Yes There are many ex: over sea job offers for thais. pay an amount and get the opportunity to pick berries in the nordic countries during the season.

Get payed and after they return to thailand with enough money to buy something or start their own small family business. there are many good stories of thais who went and were prepared to work hard picking berries(Ive met a couple)but there are also bad stories. some paying western con-men and lost their money with empty promises. after if the police manage to find the western con-man in Thailand. they sometimes do find them, the con-man then claim that he has been ripped of the money by the ones he payed or the larger companies.

Hard to prove and it could also be some thai people involved in this scams there are many stories on the web o these frauds.

[Mangosteen1]

This isn't a really big scam/fraud but I will share it anyway:

At one of the islands in Thailand. I saw a swiss guy living close to my hotel. he was with a swiss lady. I later met them in a disco later at night.

The day after he saw me on the street and told me he had been thrown out of his apartment cuz of that lady, he had been living here for a very long time. she was just visiting 2 weeks she had started to fight and argue and broke the hotel-room. he had to pay the damage. he told me he will never be with her again she put me in so much trouble. I got thrown out and all my money is somehow lost. I just need money to eat and call home.

I could feel something wasn't right, but I figured I will give him a very small amount so if its not true then it didn't mater much for me.

I gave him 50 baht. he said thanx now I can eat. 5min later he is sitting and drinking beer, no food on the table.

A thai lady who worked on the same street saw our conversation and came to me after I had given him the money, smiling wide and asking me how much I gave him. she also told me that he had been staying here for years. he came here for holiday a couple of years ago and liked this place so much so he never went back, stayed without any money.

she also added: That when he meet people from his own country and telling them some kind of story they give him much more.

She was right. next day he was with the same lady in the disco. best happy friends(There are always a couple of these guys in every place)hard to tell who really lost everything and who didn't.

"cuz they really are hollywood actors"

Edited October 15, 2013 by Mangosteen1

[itsrebel]

Does OP have any other examples of foreigners scamming Thais?

Yes There are many ex: over sea job offers for thais. pay an amount and get the opportunity to pick berries in the nordic countries during the season.

Get payed and after they return to thailand with enough money to buy something or start their own small family business. there are many good stories of thais who went and were prepared to work hard picking berries(Ive met a couple)but there are also bad stories. some paying western con-men and lost their money with empty promises. after if the police manage to find the western con-man in Thailand. they sometimes do find them, the con-man then claim that he has been ripped of the money by the ones he payed or the larger companies.

Hard to prove and it could also be some thai people involved in this scams there are many stories on the web o these frauds.

I recently watched a series of documentaries on slavery in the 21st century on Aljazeera. I think the first or the second part was about how a few American companies defrauded a bunch of poor Thai farmers into paying up to 100,000 baht promising pretty decent wages while working on farms across US and Hawai.

I can't find it on the website, but I watched it on the Aljazeera app on my Samsung smart TV under documentaries. The companies basically confiscated their passports on arrival in the US and made them work under inhumane conditions and refused to pay their wages.

These companies were charged with a bunch of crimes, I am not sure what happened to them.

[Mangosteen1]

I was on koh san road and a bloke said i was a lucky man and then said he would guess 3 things about me and if he got them right, i would give him 20k or something like that

1 my dob

2 my gf name

3 i forget what

Anyway i had to go down a side street with him and write down these 3 things without him seeing... well he guessed them all right and demanded the 20k - i got out of the scam by saying 'no' and started walking off he said that i would die on my travel but obviously i didnt

Id like to know how he managed to see what i wrote maybe a mirror behind me or maybe he was for real either way, he was not happy

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Ive heard a similar story. it must have something to do with what you write down was it his pen and paper?A friend wrote three things and after he told him the name of his mom and sister

Very strange

[Mangosteen1]

Unfortunately Thailand is no exception for con men. Some of the worst emanate out of Nigeria, where their own Embassy warn of their own nationa'ls activities. In some cases, fraud is actually taught in some unscrupulous Colleges, where typical formats are handed out, with details of genuine accidents, whether an air crash or road accident. The facts can be checked on in past newspapers or T.V coverage, but just the names are changed. The dead 'relatives' supposedly left large sums of untouched money in a bank account in Nigeria or a neighbouring country, which can only be accessed by their taking on a foreign partner, who will allegedly receive a generous percentage of the millions of dollars at stake. Invariably there are lawyers and transfer fees to pay up front, before the surviving 'relative' disappears into the sunset !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria_scam

[Mangosteen1]

Unfortunately Thailand is no exception for con men. Some of the worst emanate out of Nigeria, where their own Embassy warn of their own nationa'ls activities. In some cases, fraud is actually taught in some unscrupulous Colleges, where typical formats are handed out, with details of genuine accidents, whether an air crash or road accident. The facts can be checked on in past newspapers or T.V coverage, but just the names are changed. The dead 'relatives' supposedly left large sums of untouched money in a bank account in Nigeria or a neighbouring country, which can only be accessed by their taking on a foreign partner, who will allegedly receive a generous percentage of the millions of dollars at stake. Invariably there are lawyers and transfer fees to pay up front, before the surviving 'relative' disappears into the sunset !

Unfair of you to talk bad about the Nigerian Princes here in Thailand.

I know one very nice Nigerian Prince (from e-mail) and he even promised me a lot of money if I only sent him only a little bit.

One Nigerian who borrowed my passport, even gave it back again to me after 2 weeks.

so did you sent him that "little bit" of money?

[Cuban]

Not exactly but...

...however this is the best !

Edited October 15, 2013 by Cuban

[Mangosteen1]

Does OP have any other examples of foreigners scamming Thais?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/674872-dsi-to-probe-thai-workers-berry-picking-fiasco-in-sweden-and-finland/ (Some foreigners con.men use this work opportunity scamming thais)

[scobie redux]

Some years back while walking on Sukhumvit road I was bumped into by a young Chinese looking Thai with very good English. He apologised, took me for a coffee nearby and explained that his younger brother was studying to be a doctor and wanted to attend a conference in London. Their mother was very worried about this and would I go to the house to reassure her that London was safe? Smelling a rat I thanked him for the coffee and legged it. About 2 hours later I was queuing at and ATM and a lady who said she was from the Philippines told me that her younger sister was studying to be a dentist and had to go to a conference in London. Her mother was very worried about this and could I go round to the house and reassure her? Again I made my excuses, but I am still intrigued to know precisely what the scam was; maybe a drugged drink followed by a card game?

The Philippine card scam is very common throughout Asia. Happens all over Thailand, Vietnam etc, and in six weeks in Phnom Penh I've been approached by Flips no fewer than three times.

The routine is always the same. They want to know where you from and wherever that is, they have a cousin about to go there and they invite you for coffee or a meal at their place to talk about it. A card game somehow happens and they somehow contrive to win, and then get heavy and escort you to an ATM machine. It's as old as the hills.

[scobie redux]

OK I will tell a very simple story how I saved another guy from getting beaten up by taxi drivers: he was surrounded by 10 taxi drivers and wasn't allowed to leave. they were really going to beat him up. he didn't have enough cash that day, intoxicated and stupid enough to enter the taxi without enough cash, so in the end he couldn't pay the taxi trip. I didn't know the guy but I had seen him once before. I asked the drivers how much money is missing. they said 130 baht. I payed the 130 baht and he was out of trouble that day. The guys I was with knew him much better than me but they still didn't want to save him from that situation. we later became friends

I'm struggling to understand how your example relates to the thread. In fact, it's totally contradictory because you have basically helped out a guy who was himself trying to cheat a taxi driver out of his money.

[Spaniel]

I was on koh san road and a bloke said i was a lucky man and then said he would guess 3 things about me and if he got them right, i would give him 20k or something like that

1 my dob

2 my gf name

3 i forget what

Anyway i had to go down a side street with him and write down these 3 things without him seeing... well he guessed them all right and demanded the 20k - i got out of the scam by saying 'no' and started walking off he said that i would die on my travel but obviously i didnt

Id like to know how he managed to see what i wrote maybe a mirror behind me or maybe he was for real either way, he was not happy

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[/quote

I think they are just very good "guessers". He probably ask hundreds of people a day similar questions so the 1 time a day he is right he makes his money. Guessing your DOB though was pretty good.

[bocceball1]

A guy walks into a bar with a dog trailing him on a leash. He asks if the owner can watch his dog for a few minutes while he goes to the bathroom or attends to a business deal. While the stranger is gone, a second con artist arrives and notices the dog. He claims to be an expert on dog breeding, and says that this dog is worth hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. He asks the owner if the dog is for sale because he'll pay top dollar. The entire scam hinges on the bar owner's greed. The assumption is he'll see the chance to buy the dog from the unsuspecting owner for a low price, then sell the valuable dog to this "expert breeder." He tells the dog expert to come back later, then offers to buy the dog when its owner returns. The dog's owner sells it, but the "expert" never comes back to buy it. The two con artists walk away with a few hundred dollars, and the bar owner gets stuck with a "mutt."

Doesn't necessarily have to be a dog....can be any item

Greed is the key to most scams working

Edited October 16, 2013 by bocceball1

[bocceball1]

Home improvement scam

Often, a con artist working a home improvement con will approach a homeowner with a story similar to this one:

"We were doing some work down the street, and I noticed it looks like you could use a new roof. We have some supplies left over from the other job, and we'll have to return them to the supplier either way, so I can use the leftovers to give you a new roof for a really low price."

Once the phony roofer has the money in hand, he'll disappear. No new roof. Some con artists are actual contractors, but they run scams as part of their business. They might get halfway through the roofing job, then demand more money. When a person has half a roof on his house, he's not in much of a position to argue. The roofer might actually complete the work, but do a poor job or use sub-standard materials. Worse still, he might have a clause in the contract that allows him to put a lien on the house and foreclose if the owner misses a payment. If you refuse to pay for the shoddy work, you could end up losing the whole house.

In other scams, a "home inspector" shows up, claiming to represent the city or county code enforcement office. She might even have an ID that appears valid. This inspector will invariably find several major problems that violate the code and could result in hefty fines. As an option, she directs the owner to a friend who can do the work for a good price. It usually isn't a good price, and it's never good work. Cheap materials, shoddy workmanship and unnecessary replacements are the hallmarks of these "home improvement specialists. "

Sad to say but the "home improvement" scam happens a lot in Thailand.....Give the builder the initial deposit and he disappears....Starts the job and runs out of money (needs more)....

[FDog]

I tried the phone number thing on the youtube above. Followed how it was done, tried again, then again. Nope, all I get is the first 3 numbers and the last 4 numbers of my phone number, but not the middle 2 numbers.

[Mangosteen1]

Some years back while walking on Sukhumvit road I was bumped into by a young Chinese looking Thai with very good English. He apologised, took me for a coffee nearby and explained that his younger brother was studying to be a doctor and wanted to attend a conference in London. Their mother was very worried about this and would I go to the house to reassure her that London was safe? Smelling a rat I thanked him for the coffee and legged it. About 2 hours later I was queuing at and ATM and a lady who said she was from the Philippines told me that her younger sister was studying to be a dentist and had to go to a conference in London. Her mother was very worried about this and could I go round to the house and reassure her? Again I made my excuses, but I am still intrigued to know precisely what the scam was; maybe a drugged drink followed by a card game?

The Philippine card scam is very common throughout Asia. Happens all over Thailand, Vietnam etc, and in six weeks in Phnom Penh I've been approached by Flips no fewer than three times.

The routine is always the same. They want to know where you from and wherever that is, they have a cousin about to go there and they invite you for coffee or a meal at their place to talk about it. A card game somehow happens and they somehow contrive to win, and then get heavy and escort you to an ATM machine. It's as old as the hills.

It happened to a friend of mine in Vietnam. they had very food arguments that he should come with them to the house: Ohh our cusin is traveling to Europe can you please come and tell us how it is. we invite you for dinner. he even went with them. but after a while he realized he has forgotten something in his hotel room. he went back to get it. promising he would return. in his hotel-room he looked out of the window. he say the guys standing in front of the hotel entrance. so he took it as a warning. so he stayed in the hotel. and those guys didn't leave for 2 hours. If im not mistaken these con-men often approach you on the beach.

[Tim207]

I tried the phone number thing on the youtube above. Followed how it was done, tried again, then again. Nope, all I get is the first 3 numbers and the last 4 numbers of my phone number, but not the middle 2 numbers.

American video= American phone number

In the US phone numbers are formatted (999)-999-9999

When they talk about the area code that is the first three numbers. You have to ask the person for that number.

[Mangosteen1]

Does OP have any other examples of foreigners scamming Thais?

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2013/10/16/immigration-bureau-arrest-african-scam-gang/ - Another one with foreigners scamming Thais

[wooloomooloo]

I seriously worry for you guys. Are you all mad?

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

This happened recently (a few days ago) in Chiang Rai. A person (probably not the real person but someone pretending to be that person) said he worked on an oil rig off the gulf. Said he was getting married and needed 10 rooms for a total of 10 days. We sent him a quotation for that and sent it to him. He said we were to make several charges on his credit card (info was supplied) but then the case became rather curious. He wanted to be billed for other expenses he was going to incur - such as logistics and travel expenses for the persons that will be occupying the 10 rooms. We were going to deduct our fee but then hand over the money to a representative of his. This sounded alarm bells. We said that we could not further process his request and that hotel bookings could be done by an online booking agent. Communication with this person immediately ceased.

not a bad approach though, alas for him you were too wise.

a decent reply to a stupid op. cheers.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

An insurance SCAM in America went like this...

The scammer driving a car on the freeway would take an exit, stop and then put the car in reverse so the car behind him would "rear-end" him.....The scammer would then sue claiming he did nothing wrong (said he was just driving along) and the other car just wasn't paying attention and ran into him......worked for awhile ....idiot kept doing it though and the police saw the pattern.....

relevant to here how?

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

I was on koh san road and a bloke said i was a lucky man and then said he would guess 3 things about me and if he got them right, i would give him 20k or something like that

1 my dob

2 my gf name

3 i forget what

Anyway i had to go down a side street with him and write down these 3 things without him seeing... well he guessed them all right and demanded the 20k - i got out of the scam by saying 'no' and started walking off he said that i would die on my travel but obviously i didnt

Id like to know how he managed to see what i wrote maybe a mirror behind me or maybe he was for real either way, he was not happy

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

but he fulfilled the agreement. it doesn't really matter How he did it. you welshed on a bet.

[GreenSnapper]

Some years back while walking on Sukhumvit road I was bumped into by a young Chinese looking Thai with very good English. He apologised, took me for a coffee nearby and explained that his younger brother was studying to be a doctor and wanted to attend a conference in London. Their mother was very worried about this and would I go to the house to reassure her that London was safe? Smelling a rat I thanked him for the coffee and legged it. About 2 hours later I was queuing at and ATM and a lady who said she was from the Philippines told me that her younger sister was studying to be a dentist and had to go to a conference in London. Her mother was very worried about this and could I go round to the house and reassure her? Again I made my excuses, but I am still intrigued to know precisely what the scam was; maybe a drugged drink followed by a card game?

The Philippine card scam is very common throughout Asia. Happens all over Thailand, Vietnam etc, and in six weeks in Phnom Penh I've been approached by Flips no fewer than three times.

The routine is always the same. They want to know where you from and wherever that is, they have a cousin about to go there and they invite you for coffee or a meal at their place to talk about it. A card game somehow happens and they somehow contrive to win, and then get heavy and escort you to an ATM machine. It's as old as the hills.

It happened to a friend of mine in Vietnam. they had very food arguments that he should come with them to the house: Ohh our cusin is traveling to Europe can you please come and tell us how it is. we invite you for dinner. he even went with them. but after a while he realized he has forgotten something in his hotel room. he went back to get it. promising he would return. in his hotel-room he looked out of the window. he say the guys standing in front of the hotel entrance. so he took it as a warning. so he stayed in the hotel. and those guys didn't leave for 2 hours. If im not mistaken these con-men often approach you on the beach.

Yeah, those Philipinos do it all over Asia. They tried it on me in Bangkok and Malaysia. Always the same story. Sometimes good looking girls involved.

[sustento]

My first Honda Jazz had a see-through windscreen.

Isn't the whole point of windscreens that you can see through them?

[Thai at Heart]

Does OP have any other examples of foreigners scamming Thais?

I recall one either from here or told to me my a friend a few years ago, really quite good.

He was a frequent visitor to Pattaya mostly for the nocturnal enjoyment of music venues where he might have a beer and engage in conversation with the bar staff or people milling about on the streets etc.

On some occasions he would end up back in a hotel room with his deep meaningful overnight relationship encounter and they would do the normal things one does in these situations: Smooch, undress, shower together and then just before getting into bed he would carefully and with reverence take off his gold chain with some non-Buddha amulet also golden and carefully place it on the bedside table.

Sometimes he would wake in the morning pay his companion generously for her taxi home at whatever is the going rate for such services.....

....but on other occasions he would wake (or having had to feign sleep during the night) to find that by some strange and unexplainable co-incidence that the gold chain and young lady has disappeared overnight.

This wasn't really such a tragic loss for him as he had dozens of the chains & amulets and bought replacements at about 200-300 Baht a time, they just needed the right weight and look in a bar enviroment.

Just like the push-up bra the scam is sold under poor lighting maybe with a little question about street safety or not wanting to go on to a club because of the risk of theft. The lure has sewn itself in the mind of someone seeking their personal gain in a transaction that is not what it appears to be.

There is a nice moral in this somewhere, but I can't quite work it out.

[Mangosteen1]

Swedish Tourist 'Scammed' Of 100,000 Baht
(16 October) A Swedish tourist has alleged that a Thai woman has stolen his wallet and withdrawn 100,000 baht from his bank accounts

He thinks that she had memorized his atm card code(Important to always cover with your other hand when you are withdrawing money. even if you don't see anybody that close behind you)

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/675130-swedish-tourist-scammed-of-100000-baht-in-udon-thani/?utm_source=newsletter-20131017-0830&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1Ua3pNREl4Tmc9PQ==

Edited October 17, 2013 by Mangosteen1

[Mangosteen1]

I will share some attempted scam failed stories(This can work but they will have too see that you are 100% serious with what you're saying.

Again this might not work for you but it worked for this Iranian guy in pattaya.

Somehow a thai girl in Pattaya managed to get a hand of the cash in his room(while he took a shower) CASH 1500USD.

fast she left. after he realized that all his money was gone. he got a hold of a big knife looking for her in the sois.

He found her and her friends. thai-men(BTW this guy was doing martial arts and in very good shape and most important h was determent) he went straight to them showing no fear. and pointed the knife at them.

yelling: I swear I will kill everybody her starting with you(a thai-man), unless I get the things that have been stolen from me back. Strangely a woman. not the girl that did it. another woman came with his money and handed it over. this is a very hard way to get it back and if you let them see for 1 sec that you are not serious, this will for sure not work.

[cgphuket]

I have been approached by many more farang scammers than Thais. The whole "whaaaaaa, I got mugged at soi cowboy, sniff , sniff" one is getting old. I normally tell them to get a job like I do, I am not a tourist and earn my money, so I am keeping it. They don't respond well to that. Now when I get approached by a german or brit I just refuse to speak anything but Thai and eventually they go away.