Is this some kind of scam?

[ChoakMyDee]

I would never share a taxi with a stranger as they could be carrying drugs and you are guilty by association. I've learned the hard way to not trust anyone...not just Thailand...anywhere. I have no problem answering general tourist questions or giving directions...anything beyond that, not interested.

[bangon04]

The first guy was hoping to get invited back to your friends apt (for a bit of fun). Her friend showing up scuppered his plans

The girl was on her own and scared to travel alone into BKK, she saw another Western female alone and decided to chance her luck and make a temporary friend for mutual benefit.

or they could both have been just a corny pickup line.....

in any case, caution is appropriate.

[denby45]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Many scammers have electron scaners to copy your credit card # without even

taking them out of your wallet, however they must be in very close proximity

to you for a few minutes....could be one of these scame

even if its in your pocket ? im interested in this if it is actually going on lol

sounds pretty hi tech but if there was such technology wouldnt everyone

be a victim ?

sit in any crowded public place you could scam everyones card if this were possible ??sm Yes

Yes this happens to hundreds of people each day. Keep your credit cards in a

plastic holder wrapped in aluminum foil, or buy small metal credit card holders

designed for this purpose.

You can't just sit in a room and scan. You have to have the reader right next to the card.

You don't have to go to all that trouble to use aluminium foil if you have 2 or more chip (RFID) cards together in your wallet. Contactless Hotel room keys work on the same principal. Check it out yourself by trying to open the door with two room keys together. It does not work.

Den

Edited April 8, 2014 by denby45

[Old Stud]

I guess two other things I'm wondering are:

• If these are scam attempts, what kind of scam?
• Has anyone else experienced situations like these? Especially by Westerners? Recruiting Westerners to approach other Westerners seems like a smart idea.

I live in Thailand, aan expat, and have traveled all over the country for years. Mostly I mind my own business. Sometimes I will ask another Westerner a questions like "Do you know where an ATM is?" They will either say "I don't know or Over there." I'm certainly not trying to steal their money. Sometimes I will be approached by someone who will ask where I got my pack or shirt. I might say, "MBK in Bangkok." End of story. Point being - it's perfectly normal to approach another Westerner with a question. What's so strange about that? If it feels like its not right or something is amiss or you don't like that persons vibes, then say "Have a nice day." Walk on. This forum question sounds like a "How do I safely walk down any street in the world 101" question. Use common sense. Say Yes, say no, say hello, say goodbye and keep walking.

[tookwan cottage]

If it is not to share the time, a street name, directions or other types of innocuous information, why the hell would anyone engage with a person they do not know in public??

The most daring thing I have done is shared a taxi with someone from Suvarnabhumi Airport, and that is because a taxi driver was present and I got dropped off at a location that was not my accommodation. Thankfully, it saved me a decent amount of baht.

Edited April 8, 2014 by tookwan cottage

[YipYipYa123]

Many scammers have electron scaners to copy your credit card # without even

taking them out of your wallet, however they must be in very close proximity

to you for a few minutes....could be one of these scame

even if its in your pocket ? im interested in this if it is actually going on lol

sounds pretty hi tech but if there was such technology wouldnt everyone

be a victim ?

sit in any crowded public place you could scam everyones card if this were possible ??sm Yes

Yes this happens to hundreds of people each day. Keep your credit cards in a

plastic holder wrapped in aluminum foil, or buy small metal credit card holders

designed for this purpose.

why not just carry a lead safe strapped to your back and keep your cards in there for safety ?

[tookwan cottage]

I would never share a taxi with a stranger as they could be carrying drugs and you are guilty by association. I've learned the hard way to not trust anyone...not just Thailand...anywhere. I have no problem answering general tourist questions or giving directions...anything beyond that, not interested.

That is an interesting point. I will have to remember this, as one would most likely be held in detention while details are checked by the authorities. Thank you kindly.

[tookwan cottage]

Have to think about an incident which happened a long time ago. At Hualamphong, I purchased a train ticket to Don Meuang, which in those days still was the international airport. Walking away from the counter, I discovered there had been some kind of a misunderstanding, I had two tickets to the airport in my hand. Didn't want to and had no time to stand in line again for a refund, but don't like throwing something away which can be used. So I asked a backpack carrying solo Farang: "Are you going to the airport?" He replied:"Yes". Me again: (extending my hand with the surplus ticket in it) "Do you want a free ticket to the airport? The train is leaving at 16.15 from platform 9" . In his turn, he blurted out (raising his voice) "This is not right". So I shrugged my shoulders, turned around and walked off towards platform 9, feeling his eyes pricking into my back.

Geez, he might have thought that accepting my free offer would have led to him serving a lengthy term in a Thai prison.

Just an anecdote. The girl the OP is writing about, was probably right to cut off contact with those people. You just never know.

However, if someone offered me this in my native country, then I would be more likely to accept it. I think it is the foreign factor that is most pressing in situations like these.

[Scarpolo]

I guess two other things I'm wondering are:

• If these are scam attempts, what kind of scam?
• Has anyone else experienced situations like these? Especially by Westerners? Recruiting Westerners to approach other Westerners seems like a smart idea.

I live in Thailand, aan expat, and have traveled all over the country for years. Mostly I mind my own business. Sometimes I will ask another Westerner a questions like "Do you know where an ATM is?" They will either say "I don't know or Over there." I'm certainly not trying to steal their money. Sometimes I will be approached by someone who will ask where I got my pack or shirt. I might say, "MBK in Bangkok." End of story. Point being - it's perfectly normal to approach another Westerner with a question. What's so strange about that? If it feels like its not right or something is amiss or you don't like that persons vibes, then say "Have a nice day." Walk on. This forum question sounds like a "How do I safely walk down any street in the world 101" question. Use common sense. Say Yes, say no, say hello, say goodbye and keep walking.

I approached westerners all the time in Thailand, hoping they spoke english.

Many times I was surprised that what I thought was an American; was Dutch, French, etc. Many times I was mistaken

[tookwan cottage]

Many scammers have electron scaners to copy your credit card # without even

taking them out of your wallet, however they must be in very close proximity

to you for a few minutes....could be one of these scame

even if its in your pocket ? im interested in this if it is actually going on lol

sounds pretty hi tech but if there was such technology wouldnt everyone

be a victim ?

sit in any crowded public place you could scam everyones card if this were possible ??sm Yes

Yes this happens to hundreds of people each day. Keep your credit cards in a

plastic holder wrapped in aluminum foil, or buy small metal credit card holders

designed for this purpose.

why not just carry a lead safe strapped to your back and keep your cards in there for safety ?

So funny! I may start telling young farangs to start wrapping their heads in aluminium foil due to some reason I am yet to conjure up ...

[little mary sunshine]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Many scammers have electron scaners to copy your credit card # without even

taking them out of your wallet, however they must be in very close proximity

to you for a few minutes....could be one of these scame

even if its in your pocket ? im interested in this if it is actually going on lol

sounds pretty hi tech but if there was such technology wouldnt everyone

be a victim ?

sit in any crowded public place you could scam everyones card if this were possible ??sm Yes

Yes this happens to hundreds of people each day. Keep your credit cards in a

plastic holder wrapped in aluminum foil, or buy small metal credit card holders

designed for this purpose.

You can't just sit in a room and scan. You have to have the reader right next to the card.

You don't have to go to all that trouble to use aluminium foil if you have 2 or more chip (RFID) cards together in your wallet. Contactless Hotel room keys work on the same principal. Check it out yourself by trying to open the door with two room keys together. It does not work.

Den

Have had my cards in case with al foil for past 4 years.....NOT A PROBLEM, yet !!!

[YipYipYa123]

Have had my cards in case with al foil for past 4 years.....NOT A PROBLEM, yet !!!

have had all my cards without a case and even without alu foil in a normal wallet in normal jeans for all my life ......NOT A PROBLEM,yet!!! lol

[stephen tracy]

I don't think - as some of indicated here - that your friend was being paranoid at all. If someone approached me with a schpeel like that, I'd run a mile. If there's any doubt, then there's probably no doubt about it. And let's face it, there's no shortage of foreign scammers here. Despite being a great country, Thailand really is a bit of a scum magnet for foreigners. Places like Nana plaza and such like are a living testament to that,

[lostinsurin]

“which seemed weird because she didn't look like the kind of person to need a black corporate case.”

How do you know if you were not there, unless your alleged friend went into every minute detail?

As I mentioned in the OP, my friend said the girl was a bit of a hippie. She said she didn't seem the type to need or want corporate accessories.

Your friend is right to stay away from those who try to connect in the way these people have.

As for beetlejuice just behave yourself.

[Pigdog474]

“which seemed weird because she didn't look like the kind of person to need a black corporate case.”

How do you know if you were not there, unless your alleged friend went into every minute detail?

As I mentioned in the OP, my friend said the girl was a bit of a hippie. She said she didn't seem the type to need or want corporate accessories.

Please don't judge a book by its cover. 5 days a week, I dressed to impress as a dominate individual, but 2 days a week I dressed casually and sometimes could be said, more like a poor slob. I enjoy dressing that way, especially when I'm out looking for a new vehicle or clothes shopping etc. You'd be surprised how many sales people look the other way, when I'm purchasing something a little pricy. I once told a snobby clerk that I had just received an increase in my welfare check and could now afford it and since there was commission, I paid through a different clerk. My ex hated me when I did this. I have approached people in public areas, complemented them on an Item and inquired where I could get one. I wasn't scamming, I was just inquisitive but do agree you must always be aware. I have a problem, I'll talk with most anyone and if I can put a smile on their face, they

made my day

[little mary sunshine]

Have had my cards in case with al foil for past 4 years.....NOT A PROBLEM, yet !!!

have had all my cards without a case and even without alu foil in a normal wallet in normal jeans for all my life ......NOT A PROBLEM,yet!!! lol

Difference being....I KNOW I won't be scammed....You DON"T.

[A1Str8]

Scammers must be the most pathetic creatures in the world.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[YipYipYa123]

Have had my cards in case with al foil for past 4 years.....NOT A PROBLEM, yet !!!

have had all my cards without a case and even without alu foil in a normal wallet in normal jeans for all my life ......NOT A PROBLEM,yet!!! lol

Difference being....I KNOW I won't be scammed....You DON"T.

do you want to buy a tinfoil hat ? i have one for sale .......

[laislica]

Sounds like the plot to the excellent film Taken.

Sharing a taxi gives them your address!

[lostmebike]

OP... careful, they're watching you!

[LaraC]

Reeks of dodginess to me.
I generally play things safe and would have be cautious too.
Imo your friend did the right thing.

[wandasloan]

On tv here there is a program weekly about scamming tourists in various touristdestions worldwide. There was one about thailand as well. This was about tuk tuk driving tourists to a jewelry factory.

... because the temple's closed because it's a holiday but, hey, the government is subsidising a once-a-year jewellery sale. Yes. It's been going 30 years that I'm personally aware of. One correction: It's not a jewellery factory, it's a small jewellery shop.

The original approach, near the temple entrance, is usually a well-dressed tuk-tuk driver who speaks really good English. There are lots of those in Thailand, of course. Then it's off to the jewellery shop where a couple or three people work the actual con.

And it's a con game, not a scam. That's because the jewellery seller is playing on the greed of the tourist, who suddenly (he stupidly thinks) (and it's always "he" so far as I know) has seen a way to scam people back home, by buying really really cheap gems in Thailand and then selling them for high prices in his own country. Of course the con man has guided him to that brainstorm.

Like ALL con games, no exceptions, the "victim" is as larcenous as the actual thieves if not more so. He thinks he's cheating the jewellery sellers. He thinks he will cheat Thai customs and his country's immigration/customs He thinks he can make an unrealistic, huge profit by essentially cheating his countrymen. The real would-be scammer here is the tourist. However, he winds up getting cheated by the con man or woman junk-jewellery salesperson running the con game. What a surprise. I think the Chinese call this "a thief calling a thief 'a thief'."

Most of the cheated people won't know until they get back home how stupid they have been. Occasionally, people suddenly have a facepalm, realise they are stupid and want to reverse that great jewellery deal they just made. If they go straight to the Tourist Police, they can usually get the shop to return some or even all of their money.

But of course, most scamming people are so smart they just hide the jewellery, smuggle it out, smuggle it into their own country, take it to the jewellery shop to start the final stage of the get-rich scam - and then learn they are stupid. This is why the jewellery selling con artists will often give a refund through the Tourist Police, because almost all their sales are made final when the stupid tourist/scammer leaves Thailand.

.

[dantilley]

There's an outside chance one of these encounters might have been some kind of scam. Certainly not both of them, and they're definitely not related, just 2 random encounters with strangers.

Someone was holding a map near the BTS the other day and asked me for directions, what kind of scam do you think that was?

[Scully]

First your friend would have been drugged from the food purchased on the food card, then the second sting happens. The girl shares a cab in her doped up state with the second Canadian, this girl then fills her briefcase with state of the art weapons of war. This starts the slippery slope of international arms dealing.

Or it could just be paranoia?.

[larsjohnsson]

If it is not to share the time, a street name, directions or other types of innocuous information, why the hell would anyone engage with a person they do not know in public??

The most daring thing I have done is shared a taxi with someone from Suvarnabhumi Airport, and that is because a taxi driver was present and I got dropped off at a location that was not my accommodation. Thankfully, it saved me a decent amount of baht.

It must be rather boring if never speaking with a stranger. Every day some strangers will approach or speak with me here in Bangkok. Both farang and thai. In shopping centers, BTS, restaurants, pubs, foodstalls and on the street

[little mary sunshine]

Many scammers have electron scaners to copy your credit card # without even

taking them out of your wallet, however they must be in very close proximity

to you for a few minutes....could be one of these scame

even if its in your pocket ? im interested in this if it is actually going on lol

sounds pretty hi tech but if there was such technology wouldnt everyone

be a victim ?

sit in any public place you could scam everyones card if this were possible

It happens all the time especially at the Malls

[johninbkk71]

17 years ago I sat in a restaurant/bar on the Khao San Rd. I saw a well dressed man come in, look around a chose to go to a table next to me occupied by a middle-aged couple. I overheared, (yes, I'm nosey) him telling how his passport, plane ticket, wallet and luggage was stolen on Samui. He said the police told hm to come to Bangkok and the Canadian embassy told him he would have to wait for documents and for them to contact his family. He said he spent the last of his money on a guest house and had no money for food. They fell for it bought him dinner and gave him money.

The next day I saw him again in a busy an other restaurant/bar on the Khao San Rd he ask could he sit down ordered a beer and food, told me his tale, but it was Phuket this time. He bought me a beer, I finished it, went to the toliet settled my bill without him seeing and went across the street. Twenty minutes later three Thai men were kicking him, punching him and dragging him down the street to the police station. Guess, he thought I would pay. He didn't know that I I had heard different versions of this story from Canadians while living in London, New Zealand and Australia.

[KhnomKhnom]

These sound like standard starts for cons that must develop over a kind of 'friendship' feelings....... i.e., warm you up before striking as you are relaxed. Very very few Thai have enuf English grammar to pull that off.

They both wanted something, of course. Be very wary.

I like to collect interpersonal communication examples and often, if time, will go along with such a person just to see how skilled she is, and especially if she is cute, what she wants. One rule is I never let them touch me or bump me or carry my stuff because that is time for them to steal pockets or etc. It is really cruel fun to play THEM while they think they are playing you and also fun to see if you can yourself pull that off without being found out. I like taking them for hours if possible to drain their time to con others.

Same for religious folks coming to ur home. Lead them along; makes them nutz when they see they lose.

[arminbkk]

Maybe OP's lady friend is just very attractive and both foreigners, independent of each other, tried to chat her up.

Seriously though, first thing I would do if approached by strangers that way, would be to put my hand in my pocket where I keep my wallet.

I usually also do this when standing in crowded places, and on BTS or MRT. Just in case.

[tomyumchai]

religious cult members?

55555555555 religious cult? my mate in the UK is a bit venerable at the moment and has been taken in by a local buddhist temple, given free food and drink..........and the use of a brand new range rover..........or prius. i keep asking him where are the deed to his house........hopefully locked away in a bank.