American victim of Pattaya Baht Bus pickpocket gang

[mok199]

i witnesed this a few mnths ago,as 5 thias woman got on the bus, at 2 differetn stops appearing to not know each other but now i realize they operated together,very soffisticated as they juggled for seating and fussed about i was watching close, and a woman sat next to a korean man ,across from me ,and with her huge bag(purse) laid out on her lap to conceal the crime,of which she lifetd the mans wallet,still unaware he rang the buzzer when he stood up he notced his wallet was gone,,as we were stopped i said tp the woman open your bag,you stole his wallet,as she did and it was compltely empty....the man got off the bus and was fumbling around dazed and confuused..,looking back now ,im sure she passed it off to her partner beside her....the korean spoke no english and the diver just drove away....i wish i had done more....watch for the big over sized bag laid out on hers and the victims lap,it is the give away..this way she can move her hands around and steel the wallet..i believe they ''marked''him on scooters, as they cruised looking for a foringer with the type of wallet they specialized in,this case it was a wallet with the chain or strap to the belt,which they somehow managed to cut or remove....

Edited July 21, 2014 by mok199

[Jingthing]

That's how they do.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[peecee]

With that kind of money in hand (or pocket) why would you be on a Baht bus anyways!

'cos it's to <deleted> hot to walk!

[Shaunduhpostman]

Of course, it's terrible that the guy who robbed him has 100 prior offenses and being let out yet again….but come on, if you want to be nearly equally ridiculous and carry that much cash around with you, at least take the time to have some pockets sewn onto the inside of your pants.

[DefaultName]

The victim could well have been on his way to the bank to deposit it. There's nothing in the article to indicate that he habitually carries that much.

[jacko45k]

28 YO and already 100 convictions??

So obviously crimes against tourists are not seen as serious in Thailand.

After his second or third time this guy should have been locked up for 2 years and the sentenced increased each time he re-offends.

Just bolsters the common opinion that we are just walking ATM machines and good for nothing but the money we carry.

Jeez... what a judicial system..... It's almost tantamount to 'aiding and abetting'.

I was thinking that perhaps after number 99 he should have been locked up for a good spell rather than achieve his century so young.

[jacko45k]

The victim could well have been on his way to the bank to deposit it. There's nothing in the article to indicate that he habitually carries that much.

Well one can presume he carried that much to Thailand.

This group look familiar, I think the dark haired lady cursed me out when I warned a fellow baht bus passenger.

[hawker9000]

Moving around in baht bus with 5000usd in cash is asking for trouble.

That is exactly what I was thinking... <deleted>. I'd be so paranoid I'd have my hand in my pocket the whole time if I were so crazy.

Well then don't do it! But this guy's doing it is absolutely none of your affair. The word for today is "focus". Try and focus on the person committing the crime. Whatever the innocent victim's reasons for carrying the cash, he no doubt had them, and they are none of your business. He was doing absolutely nothing wrong, and you're just trying to stir the drama pot. Bad guy. (Actually, guys.) Innocent victim. Bad guy does bad thing. Innocent victim catches him. Police come get bad guy. Focus now! OK? Got it? Good boy.

As with ALL posts on a public forum, not only to provide news, but also to give advice to others as to how to avoid being a victim.

You're RIGHT! And it's for that reason that there's MUCH more to be learned by examining & discussing the pickpocket and the methods they used in committing the crime, and even in mentioning the apparent thai propensity for putting these creeps back on the street, free to re-offend, than in pointless speculation about the reasons this traveler might have had for having that much cash on him at that particular moment. But instead, we get the pinheaded assumption, implicit or explicit, that there can be no such reason, and that therefore this visitor must be some sort of idiot.

PS I'm not sure that open discussion of the reasons tourists might have for having that kind of money on them contribute anything at all to the discussion, but potentially DO give hints to the criminal element about who and when to target. When I see posts like this, it makes me wonder about who it is that's really behind the keyboard...

[thaibeachlovers]

The victim could well have been on his way to the bank to deposit it. There's nothing in the article to indicate that he habitually carries that much.

Then he should have taken more care to protect it. Not rocket science. Even just keeping his hand on it would have been a start.

[thaibeachlovers]

There are ALWAYS going to be pickpockets and muggers around, so one should take sensible precautions if carrying valuables/ lots of money. The easiest and simplest is a money belt down the pants. Not taking any precautions is indeed idiotic.

Of course one can always assume that it won't happen to one......................... (off topic remarks deleted by moderator)

[impulse]

You're RIGHT! And it's for that reason that there's MUCH more to be learned by examining & discussing the pickpocket and the methods they used in committing the crime, and even in mentioning the apparent thai propensity for putting these creeps back on the street, free to re-offend, than in pointless speculation about the reasons this traveler might have had for having that much cash on him at that particular moment. But instead, we get the pinheaded assumption, implicit or explicit, that there can be no such reason, and that therefore this visitor must be some sort of idiot.

PS I'm not sure that open discussion of the reasons tourists might have for having that kind of money on them contribute anything at all to the discussion, but potentially DO give hints to the criminal element about who and when to target. When I see posts like this, it makes me wonder about who it is that's really behind the keyboard...

+1 If one persons thinks twice about how they safeguard their money while traveling anywhere in the world because they have read this thread, it's in the win column.