Foreigners caught on camera posing as deaf people for Phuket 'donations'

[aussiebrian]

I had had this girl that looked Russian (with hair in bun) come over to me and placed 2 blue smurf keyrings and a card on my table and walked away doing the same with everyone in the restaurant. The card stated she was deaf and it was advising me to give a donation, This was downstairs at central plaza 2 days ago.. I got a couple of pictures with my phone but not clear. 100 baht each keyring and I saw 6 sales in only 4 minutes. All her customers were Thai. After she finished she walked outside and started talking with the tall guy in picture and then he went over and he was talking to the guy sitting down. She wandered off most likely to another restaurant. Not bad, that works out about 6000 baht an hour if she could keep that ratio up.

Vincent To me that is fraud, not begging.

[Cuban]

Maybe they were inspired by recent events.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVo9K7QiHg4

Maybe they would get more "donations" if they had a skill ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEpBY849m5c

....but would need a WP4 for busking (banned farang profession).

[LUSHGOAT]

Its the new year, so "Happy New Year to all". The panhandlers, beggars, blind singers, etc are a part of the street scene in most countries I have had the oppurnity to visit. It would seem that some are condemning these people due to their skin pigmentation.

I do not know if they are really 'down and out', but they seem to have approached their quest for income in a way that does no physical/monetary harm to other.s (purse snatching, mugging, armed robbery, petty theft, etc.). I use to get a chuckle out of the office help in Bombay who would hit the streets at lunch hour and ask passing tourist for a contribution for their wants/needs. If a pale face would attempt the same, there would have probably been a uproar over that.

Some people go thru life working/earning their way, others walk a thin line between legal/illegal, some just take the illegal route, others expect the rest of society to finance them from cradle to grave, its up to the first group, who end up paying for the others to sort out the wheat from the chaf, which sometimes can lead to condenmation for all who do not fit the mold as some parts of society define it.

Well said or written what ever way some people want to take it its great to know there are some of us still around with a good heart, who are we to judge others, who knows for sure if this man didn't need the money maybe he was ripped off by some other unscrupulous farang which has been the case so many times. I know of foreigners in Thailand who committed suicide after been ripped off by their very own yet farangs here condemn Thais for doing it. Anyway enough Happy New Year to all on Thai visa and everywhere in the world and to you Slapout you are a good hearted person.

[alex8912]

Doesn't anyone think he looks like Vladimir Putin ( but younger)?

[hkt83100]

This has been going on for years. Just a few days ago I asked the girl in Karon for her work permit, but being deaf she did not understand....

[mickyboy]

Pretty unbelievable.

looks eastern european so what would you expect from that shower letting them into thailand has caused big problems such as drugs mafia controlled sex industrie and so on they have no respect for anyone and treat thais like they are servants to be abused and used abusive loud people

your right i dont like them have enough problems with them in the uk

[JetsetBkk]

Should ask for her phone number.

[slipperylobster]

Half the people washing your windshield at every stop light in New York are doing the same thing...you get swiped two times. Never saw an arrest made though. Use you good judgement, and mail in your generous offers to established, documented foundations. Then get their business cards and list of services. When you see people like this, hand them the card, and say...."you are certainly welcome, and here is a place where you can go for help". A nice patronizing pat on the back, a firm handshake and a knowing smile is all that is required.

[darren84310]

Why don't they just get the money from one of their rich friends?.... bet the Thais are a tad bemused by this.

[mok199]

the RUSSIAN ''SPECIAL OLYMPIC REP""WINS GOLD IN THAILAND....HAHAHAHAHAHAH

[livil]

angry birds or candy crush ?

[NamKangMan]

Why don't they just get the money from one of their rich friends?.... bet the Thais are a tad bemused by this.

"bet the Thais are a tad bemused by this" - they will be asking for photos of them with a farang begger to put up on their Facebook page. :)

Does making merit with a farang begger count?

[jpduggan]

This is the facebook link to the video

[jpduggan]

"One staff member told Ryan that she once heard the girl speaking on the phone in a Slavic language."

Oh righty. A Thai person says or even knows about a 'Slavic language'?

Of course they do , a lot can even speak Russian. Why waste your time with English when there are more Russians here now.

[Hawk]

He's wearing a very impressive new T-shirt?

[maccastime]

You have clearly lost the plot dear Vincent,what these low life are doing is called Fraud,yes Fraud.and you feel this is ok?? so i suppose you are the first one to put your hand into your pocket for them eh??we should post this muppets photo all over facebook as well,bloody thief.What about the innocent deaf people who are for real?? how would they feel.Just love the Capitals..DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING??? wow so serious.

Why not hunt them out when you are in Thailand,and maybe supply them with your bank details.I think maybe you could be one of the muppets on the bikes who annoy tourists asking to purchase timeshare???

Also maybe you should do a spell check before posting,just shows how dumb you are.

i.e. Delation,feel ashame?? robbering??? critisized? actuing?? schocked?? Moscou??? ha ha. good day and good night.

whats happening to you all here ???? thats what you wish to people for 2014 ?delation and let a farang being arrested because he is begging ? making a photo of him and putting a post here? you have nothing else to do? i feel ashame and like to...... when i see this......!

let people live their life and do what they want to do....begging is not robbering anyway, they don't do anything wrong. perhaps they try a clever story but the bank and system or both are thousand time worst than that..person ....so... well ..up to you....if you want to give him or her ....it is new year time so ...do so then, if not carry on with what you are doing and forget it.

you should not critized when you don't know the exact reason why a person is actuing a way others don't ...!

to people who are schoked with that begging thing should go back to their own countries and look around.

paris , new york, london,moscou, india , china ...etc etc

america, europe and also the rest of the world is full of poor people and beggars because of entire corrupt systems.

every where.DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING ?

why don't you make a photo of all them and make a new post here.

good day and good night

[laislica]

Give them a good kicking !! We get a lot of these unscrupulous scammers in Scandinavia too,always pretending to be deaf,wants money or sells "art" and when you turn your back to them they steal whatever they can get their hands on.

Low life trash !!!

Exactly the same in Spain.

Though they only leave a photo copied slip of paper.

I rudely throw it on the floor as I feel it is rude to impose themselves on us - paying customers.

The shop owners don't care. Up to you and them?

[Docno]

whats happening to you all here ???? thats what you wish to people for 2014 ?delation and let a farang being arrested because he is begging ? making a photo of him and putting a post here? you have nothing else to do? i feel ashame and like to...... when i see this......!

let people live their life and do what they want to do....begging is not robbering anyway, they don't do anything wrong. perhaps they try a clever story but the bank and system or both are thousand time worst than that..person ....so... well ..up to you....if you want to give him or her ....it is new year time so ...do so then, if not carry on with what you are doing and forget it.

you should not critized when you don't know the exact reason why a person is actuing a way others don't ...!

to people who are schoked with that begging thing should go back to their own countries and look around.

paris , new york, london,moscou, india , china ...etc etc

america, europe and also the rest of the world is full of poor people and beggars because of entire corrupt systems.

every where.DO YOU WANT TO CHANGE SOMETHING ?

why don't you make a photo of all them and make a new post here.

good day and good night

You are so wrong, I don't know where to begin. So I'll just make two points:

1. I don't personally have a problem with people begging--live and let live--but I do have a problem with people going to another country to do this. People help others in finite amounts so the money that goes to these people would likely otherwise go to Thais, some of whom may really need it. I don't know what country you're from, but how would you feel if some Thais took a flight there just to sit around the streets of one of your nicer cities to beg for handouts?

This is the more important point: these people are probably faking a disability to make money. That's truly offensive to those who actually have the disability, and should be offensive to everyone.

But you sound like the kind of person who would be bothered to see someone park their car in a handicapped zone then do a fake-limp into the beer store...

[davetrout]

what did you say

[Tchooptip]

Isn't there a work permit requirement for caped crusaders and vigilantes?