Scam artists destroying image of Thai tourism

[kotsak]

Kick those bar-stuards where it hurts them the most.. their wallets..

[Loptr]

What is the common denominator in most of these scenarios? It's the fact that the plod are either part of the scam or complicit and take a cut from the perpetrators... Every one of these scams would cease overnight if the cops did their jobs... How long before the junta does something about it? My guess is never...

[arrowsdawdle]

total disgrace!

Thailand the only country in the world with scams and scam artists.

No, but possibly the only one where scams and scam artists are the norm and looked up to culturally.

[MaxYakov]

Did anyone notice how this article conveniently omits any mention of the police shakedowns along Sukhumvit where other scam artists (yes I do mean the RTP) have been causing Thailand's tourism to take a hit. Wonder why this was not highlighted in the article? Is it because Thailand has no solution for cops gone crazy?

Yesterday i had a conversation at the myanmar emassy with a young canadian couple on their honeymoon, they asked me about the police scams and explained they had planed to stay at a hotel in thonglor ,

After reading all the reports of rtp scams they had decided it was a no go area, they were eager for info about other areas of bkk for such dangers, by their character i doubt they do drugs or even drink but had a healthy fear that any kind of contact with the rtp could ruin their holiday.

Ridiculous (or maybe not). The RTP should be approachable under any most conditions. I waved at two of them on a motorbike last night. They seemed to be eyeing me for some action, but rode off after I waved. If one drastically alters their movements to avoid the RTP, I become suspicious and they might as well. What are you going to do if you really need them in an emergency?

Of course, one should avoid any that are inebriated, as I once encountered in an alley feeding Sukhumvit soi 3/1 one morning. He seemed mentally challenged to propose a tea money extortion and let me go after I looked disapprovingly at his hand grasping my wrist.

Edited January 20, 2015 by MaxYakov

[Toany]

When by he Thai Authorities allow rtp to rip off tourists on Sukhumvit what conclusion are tourists supposed to make?

Maybe that the Government and Authorities condon this sort of action and it is acceptable to them.

The scams have always been there and accepted. The problem is that now the tourists are telling other people when they are ripped off

Edited January 20, 2015 by Toany

[Benmart]

Social media and the internet will help reduce the scams, rip-offs, bad service, assaults and other crimes against people, and not just tourists.

The days of "Its your word against theirs" are limited when it comes to the actions of those who have preyed on the weak and defenseless, be they Thai or otherwise.

A society that outwardly follows the teachings of honesty, tolerance, love and peace; while on the other hand is stealing, cheating and lying; is a society that has a long, hard road to redemption.

[harryfrompattaya]

"Reports of foreign tourists being ripped off by locals are destroying the image of the Thai tourism industry,"

Those who make these reports should be sent to the re-education camps! IMMEDIATELY!!!

I agree it must be unhappy evil foreign tourists who are just social misfits

[jlwilliamsjr18]

Shakedown,Shakedown,Shakedown... come on, it's a simple matter of the PM telling the boys that serve and protect (their assets) to cut that crap out or loose their jobs. Turning a blind eye to this only gives other scam artist permission. If tourist post all rip offs on social networks. Sooner or later, tourism will dry up or things will improve.

Now... as for this person: "It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners." Sorry, but when you bring in millions of tourist $$$ every year, you gave up the "our country" exclusive.

[TechnikaIII]

Did anyone notice how this article conveniently omits any mention of the police shakedowns along Sukhumvit where other scam artists (yes I do mean the RTP) have been causing Thailand's tourism to take a hit. Wonder why this was not highlighted in the article? Is it because Thailand has no solution for cops gone crazy?

It omitted the violence, the murders, the hostility, the police shakedowns, the stupid visa system. the open racism....but at least it mentioned the scams...don't know what the coal thing was about....are they claiming that lower tourist numbers in the south is do to with coal, and not the low level war between Thailand and Islamic separatists?

Yes, and did I miss something too? How does the coal thing have anything to do with the rest of the article?

However, while were're at it. How does a "plan" affect tourists? Tourism (along with everything else) would certainly be affected once they start building and burning the filthy stuff. And I wonder where they plan to get their coal. Australia? Has Australia's idiot PM Tony Abbott done a deal with Prayuth. He's awfully determined to go ahead with stuffing up the state of Queensland, including cutting a chunk out of The Great Barrier Reef.

"plan to build a coal-fired power plant in the South is also keeping tourists away."

Edited January 20, 2015 by TechnikaIII

[inzman]

Did anyone notice how this article conveniently omits any mention of the police shakedowns along Sukhumvit where other scam artists (yes I do mean the RTP) have been causing Thailand's tourism to take a hit. Wonder why this was not highlighted in the article? Is it because Thailand has no solution for cops gone crazy?

Yesterday i had a conversation at the myanmar emassy with a young canadian couple on their honeymoon, they asked me about the police scams and explained they had planed to stay at a hotel in thonglor ,

After reading all the reports of rtp scams they had decided it was a no go area, they were eager for info about other areas of bkk for such dangers, by their character i doubt they do drugs or even drink but had a healthy fear that any kind of contact with the rtp could ruin their holiday.

Ridiculous. The RTP should be approachable under any most conditions. I waved at two of them on a motorbike last night. They seemed to be eyeing me for some action, but rode off after I waved. If one drastically alters their movements to avoid the RTP, I become suspicious and they might as well. What are you going to do if you really need them in an emergency? Of course, one should avoid any that are inebriated, as I once encountered on Sukhumvit soi 3/1 one morning.

I am always told by Thai people to avoid the police and that most Thais also avoid the police. It is not a well respected organization. I'm told it will usually cost you money to have any interaction with the local bib. Does the TAT know that the term "Thainess" has now become a modicum to describe bad behavior by this country? Funny how that came about, som nom na.

[mok199]

thailand (on its own) has done a perfect job of destroying the image...easier to blame the foriengers...

[Phuketboy]

Im going to add an extra zero (0) onto all my receipts and bills because I don't want repeat customers, I want money right now.

[superdome]

Damn foreigners. If they didn't complain then we wouldn't have these problems. Don't they understand Thainess? It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners.

Oh really...where would Thailand be now if it were not for foreigners/tourists...up the swanee WITHOUT a paddle...thailand is a 3rd/4th world country and thats the way it will always be untill the get rid of Thainess....with comments like that...whats your trade..?...Merchant Banker..?

[Phuketboy]

Nothing beats the key money scam that we see here. One prime example that happens everyday here is key money 5m baht for 3 years plus 50,000 per month rent, however on contract it states key money 80,000 and 12,000 rent. These people even commit fraud and tax evasion to rip off their own. Now if someone took this information to the revenue department, that would surely open a can of worms as they are the ones missing out on a great deal of money.

[Phuketboy]

Damn foreigners. If they didn't complain then we wouldn't have these problems. Don't they understand Thainess? It's our country and you must accept that this is the way it is here. Curse you foreigners.

Oh really...where would Thailand be now if it were not for foreigners/tourists...up the swanee WITHOUT a paddle...thailand is a 3rd/4th world country and thats the way it will always be untill the get rid of Thainess....with comments like that...whats your trade..?...Merchant Banker..?

You should read between the lines and see the sarcasm here. Oh some people never see the true message being said.

[chrisinth]

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Luckily I live here long enough and my Thai is at least good enough to get around and make scammers back-off quickly in most (though not all) cases , but sad to say I consider Thailand now the world's SCAM HOTSPOT number 1 ( with neighboring Cambodia winning the runners-up title). And as I am involved in tourism and hospitality business and have been to 4 continents and numerous countries in the past 18 months, dare I say I can judge it somehow.....

the problem is, once you cut one arm of the giant Octopus of greedyness, two new arms will quickly grow out of it to fill the gap.....

Totally agree. You do not kill a monster by tickling it's feet, you kill it by taking off it's head.

Until someone in government accepts this principle and goes after the kingpins, nothing will change.

[maidee]

just another nail in the footh/coffin

[perdido]

the best way to stop this is to if possoble ban the social media

yes ; and burn the books!!!

[inzman]

the best way to stop this is to if possoble ban the social media

yes ; and burn the books!!!

Don't laugh, the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised to see that level of oppression.

[Sparkles]

The ministry has been trying to protect tourists from scam artists

Good luck with that. The above is not even the tip of the iceberg.

It is not even the tip...it is the tip of the tip of the iceberg.... I am in Thailand for about 5 years and many friends from europe came over here for holiday. Many came again and again and most of them startet to realise after the second or third time that many things are not as nice as it used to be if you are blinded by the beauty of this country as it was when you are a first timer.

Iv'e been her 15 years and never considered the country had any beauty ,apart from the ladies , however whenever you go to a new country, so different from your own, you sort of get swept along by the difference until after a while you realise its not some utopia and certain things get under your skin.Through the fog of memory I do know that many Thais have changed their ways over the years,There was always greed and corruption but now it seems to have escalated and throw in unprovoked violence to the point where many foreigners I meet and know are seriously thinking about moving on.

[tkramer]

All Talk, no action. If the minister is serious, she would have ordered the closure of the OK bar in Chiang Mai in which the Dutch guy was bashed and the Malaysians were ripped off. Has she done that? Of course not ...because it's probably owned by some sleazebag hiso or wealthy creep. This govt is no more serious about ending scams than the last one or the one before that.

Truth be told...

"You can take the Thai out of the jungle...but you can't take the jungle out of the Thai"

[Jim walker]

All the scamming will stop once we get rid of the last of the tourists they do nothing but complain about being robbed and their money more or less stolen from them, well just stay at home in your own country and see if this doesn’t happen in their country, stay away foreign tourists we don’t need you and never will Thailand is for Thais only.

[Doc46]

So why do they say that they fixed the cabbie problem,,They still refuse to turn on their meters,how can they police every rouge trader in the country and protect the tourists from every day rip offs in every town and street market,come on

This is not a scam artist destroying the image of Thai tourism. It is freedom of speech and speaking the truth....If this is wrong,,,,

SO BE IT

[Suffinator]

It's unlikely to ever stop until the tourist industry collapses ... only once the money dries up will any action be taken seriously and by then the image will be so bad that it's unlikely they'll be able to recover.

http://meebal.com/continuing-scams-trashes-image-thailands-tourist-industry/ Read this not 10 minutes ago and only goes to show that such is being picked up all over the internet.

[Just1Voice]

Husband of my wife favorite cousin is a SnrSgtMaj in RTP. He knows I loved to take long bike trips on my CBR. He told me to NEVER stop if some cops try to wave me down on the road. Told me to outrun them, which is easy enough to do, get to the nearest city, then call him if I needed to. He said to them, seeing me on what they consider an "expensive big bike" causes their hearts to beat wildly at the thought of the money they can get from me, especially if, once stopped and helmet removed, they see a "falang".

[manhood]

Well there isn't much to destroy anymore as the reputation is gone already and the smile is never seen by many of the people who work in the sector or tourism, hotels, taxis, police, officials......

So expect nothing in this country then getting ripped off and maybe avoid comeing here for holidays.

[Suffinator]

The ministry has been trying to protect tourists from scam artists

Good luck with that. The above is not even the tip of the iceberg.

It is not even the tip...it is the tip of the tip of the iceberg.... I am in Thailand for about 5 years and many friends from europe came over here for holiday. Many came again and again and most of them startet to realise after the second or third time that many things are not as nice as it used to be if you are blinded by the beauty of this country as it was when you are a first timer.

Iv'e been her 15 years and never considered the country had any beauty ,apart from the ladies , however whenever you go to a new country, so different from your own, you sort of get swept along by the difference until after a while you realise its not some utopia and certain things get under your skin.Through the fog of memory I do know that many Thais have changed their ways over the years,There was always greed and corruption but now it seems to have escalated and throw in unprovoked violence to the point where many foreigners I meet and know are seriously thinking about moving on.

I left a number of months ago after finally not being to take any more Thainess. I have to be honest it's a breath of fresh air and the best thing I ever did ... the stress levels are now non-existent; no more annual visas and no more 90 day reporting for a start and it's SO much cheaper. Thailand has now procured a very undesirable reputation and it's not getting any better. If I had any advice for the expat it would be to get out while you can and finally acknowledge that life can be so much better

[diehard60]

So what is new they have been doing this for years now.

[Diplomatico]

I left a number of months ago after finally not being to take any more Thainess. I have to be honest it's a breath of fresh air and the best thing I ever did ... the stress levels are now non-existent; no more annual visas and no more 90 day reporting for a start and it's SO much cheaper. Thailand has now procured a very undesirable reputation and it's not getting any better. If I had any advice for the expat it would be to get out while you can and finally acknowledge that life can be so much better

To where did you relocate, for those of us considering same?

[SiBKK]

There is a certain amount of self-responsibility (stupidity as I prefer to call it) when it comes to getting ripped off. I have spent a lot of time in BKK and continue to do so.

Now......, I am not stating for 1-second that it doesn't make my blood boil when a taxi driver attempts to quadruple the price just because Sukhumvit is busy, and he fails to realise that I know several other ways to my apartment!!! I detest the watch sellers that bug me in the afternoons when having a drink in the street, although he has seen me every day for a month! I avoid the once flourishing markets that pulled global travellers in droves and I definitely avoid the gilrie bars where your bill seems to triple every 15 minutes!!!

That said; I am also an adult and responsible for my own actions. I am well travelled and have seen scams and problems with getting ripped off, all over the world! Just ask Google! What I am driving at is that naivety and stupidity (often coupled with naked girls and lots of alcohol) allow these problems to exist, and be worked to the advantage of the locals - just like any other city in the world unfortunately! Try Vegas or many other US states. Try Paris at night, try Milan, try Cape Town etc...... hell try doing business in the UK!

Remove the stupidity, research the problems of any country before you get there (basic self preservation), apply some logic to your situation and surroundings and don't be a completely naive idiot just because you are away from home! That should go someway to having an enjoyable time in Bangkok and Thailand, there are many, many wonderful Thai people in Thailand. It is common knowledge (and very well posted) that taxi drivers, Tuk Tuk drivers, street vendors, local kids and unfortunately the Thai Police can be problematic, so why put yourself in line of fire in the first instance............ also, if you do unfortunately become involved in an incident, take a deep breath (think about the little bit of local culture that you should have researched and well shared advice such as taking photos of the police that stop you etc) remain polite, apologise (even if it's not your fault) remain respectful and you may be surprised that your original issue is defused quickly - failing that; you can always drink too much vodka, start a brawl with a street vendor and get yourself stabbed by an 'ex' Thai kick boxing champion!

The above is quite a contrast in exit strategy!

Bangkok and Thailand is not a bad place to be, like anywhere else, it has bad people, both local and visitors!