Phuket police on lookout for foreign 'deaf' scammer

[webfact]

Phuket police on lookout for foreign 'deaf' scammer
Tanyaluk Sakoot


The card the man uses to solicit the money.

PHUKET: -- Immigration police are on the lookout for a foreign man who poses as a deaf person and solicits for donations in the Thalang area. This comes after photos of the card the man uses to solicit the donations started to spread on social media last Thursday (May 7).

A reader of The Phuket News told how she was having a meal at a restaurant in the Tesco Lotus in Thalang when a foreign man came in and was dropping small cards on the restaurant tables which said he was deaf and asked for people to buy keyrings for B60 or B100 for two.

“I was having a meal with friends at a restaurant in Tesco Lotus Thalang when a foreign man came into with a black bag and started putting small cards on the tables.

“He came back to our table but we did not want to buy the keyrings. He was not happy that we refused to buy them. Then the man picked up the cards and left.

“My friends and I were surprised that a foreigner in Phuket would behave like this,” she said.

This is not the first time an incident like this has been reported. In February last year a Ukranian man was arrested after for doing an identical thing around Central Festival.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-police-on-lookout-for-foreign-deaf-scammer-52255.php


-- Phuket News 2015-05-11

[BigBadGeordie]

Reserved occupation ;-)

[Shot]

WHAT?

Edited May 11, 2015 by Shot

[LivinginKata]

3 troll posts removed.

[Somtamnication]

This scam has been going on for years. If you shout ANY name out loud, they will get shocked and look up.

[Coaster11]

An off shoot of the blind man singing and accomplice franchise maybe?

[AlQaholic]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

[Lancashireman]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

Can you be 'death'...?

[asdecas]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

Can you be 'death'...?

If he's 'death', it's rather hard to negotiate a price...

[Oziex1]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

I would have to say death is the ultimate disabling handicap, however it is no barrier to employment as I have worked with a few.

[AlQaholic]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

Can you be 'death'...?

If he's 'death', it's rather hard to negotiate a price...

OOps, sorry for my splelling.....

[wvavin]

The Phuket police should be able to give you more detail if anyone wishes to know more!

[Spock]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

Can you be 'death'...?

If he's 'death', it's rather hard to negotiate a price...

OOps, sorry for my splelling.....

I could excuse it once but not three times in the one short post. I could only hopefully conclude you were deliberately playing for laughs.

[mikemac]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

I would have to say death is the ultimate disabling handicap, however it is no barrier to employment as I have worked with a few.

I have been into more than a few shops in Thailand where the only indication the staff had not in fact reached "death" yet was the beep-beep-beeping of their life support machines - their smart phones.

And I know the "foreign deaf scammer" well, I have been married to her for five years now.

[paddyjoe41]

This sort of scam is very popular in Italy,you can go on any train going anywhere and someone will do the same thing,start at the front to the back and return picking up the cards,they get away with the ticket issue by staying on the platforms,and hiding in the train toilets when the conductor is on his rounds.Mostly polish and eastern european people,they have been around for a fair length of time with this scam.

[pmk1000]

Why is he being labeled a scammer? This is a form of begging not scamming, I see Thai people doing this all the time in Bangkok. I find it incredible how the media lead with this incorrect story, I see a report about a poor 71 year old woman being robbed of over 200,000 baht gets listed much farther down the page. Why are petty crime's committed by foreigner's in Thailand highlighted in such a way, whereas heinous crimes committed by Thai's are treated as the norm. Thai Visa should in my opinion recognize this and report respectively!

[VINCENT2012]

if all scammer where like those little clever ones it wouldn't be a big deal, the probleme is that the thai tie scammer make it very much more harmfull to our farang population.....thats those who should be hunted first.

[LivinginKata]

Time to remove a number of off topic posts.

[laobali]

Why is he being labeled a scammer? This is a form of begging not scamming, I see Thai people doing this all the time in Bangkok. I find it incredible how the media lead with this incorrect story, I see a report about a poor 71 year old woman being robbed of over 200,000 baht gets listed much farther down the page. Why are petty crime's committed by foreigner's in Thailand highlighted in such a way, whereas heinous crimes committed by Thai's are treated as the norm. Thai Visa should in my opinion recognize this and report respectively!

If he's got goods for sale, he's not a beggar or necessarily a scammer but a travelling saleman.

[torpedo1970]

This is a old scam, been seeing it since i fist came to Thailand 8 years ago....

BUT, most Thai's only the last couple of years have i seen foreigners doing it.....

Why is this news?

Most funny story about this was about 5 years ago a Thai was doing this scam in a restaurant i was sitting, after successfully scamming many foreigners. the guy's walking outside, on the pavement he shouting "Taxi", jumps on the back of a motobike taxi

talking very well telling him where he want to go.....

[luckyman]

Why is he being labeled a scammer? This is a form of begging not scamming, I see Thai people doing this all the time in Bangkok. I find it incredible how the media lead with this incorrect story, I see a report about a poor 71 year old woman being robbed of over 200,000 baht gets listed much farther down the page. Why are petty crime's committed by foreigner's in Thailand highlighted in such a way, whereas heinous crimes committed by Thai's are treated as the norm. Thai Visa should in my opinion recognize this and report respectively!

Well said !!

[fareastguy]

The Phuket police should be able to give you more detail if anyone wishes to know more!

But could you call after 11am when tea money collection is over !!

[hawker9000]

Are you talking about the British flag being used on the scammer's card as the "language badge" or indicator (like you see on websites when selecting the language you want to read)? If so (and I can't imagine what else you might be talking about...), TV didn't put it there, it's on the printed cards the scammer is using! The article is just showing you what the cards look like. And in the second place, it's just a language indicator, just like the Thai flag above it corresponds to the same blurb in Thai. Sheesh. Either get over it or take it up with the scammer FPS! There' s a bigger issue here.

[LivinginKata]

Thaivisa only republishes news articles. Thaivisa is not responsible for the content. Make any complaint direct to The Phuket News ---> http://www.thephuketnews.com/

[FiestyFarang]

This type of story really makes foreigners feel alienated in my opinion, is begging reserved for Thais. Every time I mention "tip" Thai come over to me and say they have no money. Thailand is for Thais but will that will be changing soon when Asean is implemented surely all 10 countries will have freedom of employment within member countries like Europe. Why does Thailand block most job to foreigners?

[nithisa78]

Lord have mercy.

empathy

[balo]

This is old news first reported here on Thaivisa 2 years ago. They travel around Thailand. I spotted them myself at Big C food court here in Pattaya. Its the same card , same keyring, and the "deaf" guys doing the scam comes from Ukrainia. They have been stopped before by the police in Phuket and apparently nothing happens. Try to take a picture of them and they run away like chicken.

Edited May 12, 2015 by balo

[KarenBravo]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

Can you be 'death'...?

ONLY IF YOU TALK LIKE THIS (sorry Terry).

[slipperylobster]

So his reasoning is, if he is death automatically people would pity him and buy the key ring as opposed to not being death? So being death is such a disabling handicap you cannot find a job of some sorts?

being "death" ??? I understand that is a "terminal disability"

[tommybhill]

absolute outrage if he was death. going around handing cards out whilst feinting death