Thailand must get tough on tricksters targeting tourists, says official

[snoop1130]

Thailand must get tough on tricksters targeting tourists, says official
By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK -- Thailand must clamp down on scammers targeting tourists as they are damaging the country's image overseas, the Tourism Department says.

Sutham Dechdi, director of the department's Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration, said tourism operators and the government had take action against scams like fake hotel websites that take credit card payments from tourists and cancel bookings with the hotels.

“There are many types of scams particularly fake tour operators and tour guides, selling programmes and fake hotel reservations services through online booking,” he said.

Full Story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2015/12/03/thailand-must-get-tough-tricksters-targeting-tourists-says-official

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2015-12-03

[NCC1701A]

Does this mean the giant gold Budda is not really closed today?

[Reigntax]

There is no damage to the image overseas, its beyond repair already.

[zaphod reborn]

Amazing Thailand. Blame foreign tour operators and not the traditional Thai scams, like the karaoke bars, jet ski rentals, tuk tuk drivers and the BIB.

[ray simmons]

Zaphod you took the words out of my mouth!!!

[Strangebrew]

Just this week alone I got hitup by 5 Tuk tuk drivers saying want ride I reply I live here they shutup quick

[jacky54]

But it's govt policy to overcharge tourists to enter a national park, or is that to end?

[jaltsc]

"Thailand must clamp down on scammers targeting tourists as they are damaging the country's image overseas, the Tourism Department says."

Sorry readers. Somehow an article from 12 years ago was mistakenly reprinted in today's edition.

[NeverSure]

It's always about the image and never about how simply wrong it is.

[sapson]

Jeez they are so deluded....................what about the extortion with threats of and actual violence that still continues on the beaches of Pattaya yesterday, today,tomorrow and is publicized on the internet and is well known to most western embassies and the corrupt men in uniforms that facilitate the theft from tourists rather than helping them..............................what does that do for the image of Thailand.

The tourist office spews out endless statements but refuses to deal with one of the most blatant crimes against tourists because the proceeds of the jetski scam fill the rice bowls of so many low life scumbags right up the gravy train.

[NongKhaiKid]

Purges, crackdowns, strict enforcement, tough action etc etc and we've heard it all so many times before but nothing changes.

Keep talking to make it sound as if something is or will be done seems to be the only rule of the road and of course produce figures, born of flights of fancy, to prove that tourism is increasing.

[MaiChai]

Scamming tourists in Thailand has been going on for at least 30 years. In the past even supported in the belief tourists are fair game to be shaken down by poor Thais who need to make a living. Thus why the change in heart?

[Ks45672]

Scamming tourists in Thailand has been going on for at least 30 years. In the past even supported in the belief tourists are fair game to be shaken down by poor Thais who need to make a living. Thus why the change in heart?

Change of heart because the tourists aren't as gullible as they used to be, I know people from home who have heard of the overpriced bar tab and jet ski rip offs that haven't even been to Thailand yet

People are going to other places on holiday that are better value, safer and have less "thainess" to relieve them off their money imo

[Rocceao]

It's always about the image and never about how simply wrong it is.

Hey! c'mon, you can't loose face

[Rocceao]

Scamming tourists in Thailand has been going on for at least 30 years. In the past even supported in the belief tourists are fair game to be shaken down by poor Thais who need to make a living. Thus why the change in heart?

They scam each other, just as much as the tourists, if not more, its just their way of life.

[Thian]

Solly sir, palace is closed today. You like boatride with my friend on river?

I bet they are still doing it and the palace knows it.

[Bluespunk]

Scamming tourists in Thailand has been going on for at least 30 years. In the past even supported in the belief tourists are fair game to be shaken down by poor Thais who need to make a living. Thus why the change in heart?

Facebook.

YouTube.

Social media.

[Chupup]

Thais have the false impression that ALL farangs have a money tree and just want to share, when the truth is that they have worked hard most of their life instead of just sleeping in a hammock and drinking lo cal, yes it does need someone to sort it out, unfortunatly talk is cheap so SFA will get done . as the saying goes money talks BS walks

[shirtless]

Things must be bad if their trying to ban a Thai national sport .

[Guitar God]

The government announces that they are taking action to improve the situation in Thailand and every single comment is negative.

In one of the ten paragraphs they mention Chinese tour operators, nowhere do they state the problem is exclusively with foreign booking sites or foreign scammers.

So what if they didn't do anything about it 30 years ago, they're doing something about it now.

You can't change decades of problems overnight.

At least this administration is taking steps to improve the country and they are making incremental progress. They're taking steps to improve the taxi, tuktuk and motorcycle businesses, just announced that they plan to reduce traffic fatalities, corrupt government officials are being removed from their positions, tried, jailed, safes full of ill-gotten gains confiscated.

It will take time but at least they are making progress. It's easier to sit back and complain and regurgitate tired old jabs at Thailand than it is to actually do something constructive.

Look at the U.S., the wealthiest, most powerful first world nation. Nearly every day they have mass murders going on there and not only are they not fixing the problem, it's getting worse.

Yet some people here expect the Thai government to be able to snap their fingers and magically eliminate 100% of the bad practices and corruption in the country.

I expect to hear criticism if they're doing something wrong but when they're taking action and making progress in the right direction, can't you whiners just be glad they're doing something positive instead of always trying to find a negative angle to complain about?

What are you doing to make Thailand better?

[arrowsdawdle]

Amazing Thailand. Blame foreign tour operators and not the traditional Thai scams, like the karaoke bars, jet ski rentals, tuk tuk drivers and the BIB.

You left out TAT, film festival bribes, slick tourism magazine in Thai language only, urine tests on public sidewalks, etc.

[EyesWideOpen]

The government announces that they are taking action to improve the situation in Thailand and every single comment is negative.

In one of the ten paragraphs they mention Chinese tour operators, nowhere do they state the problem is exclusively with foreign booking sites or foreign scammers.

So what if they didn't do anything about it 30 years ago, they're doing something about it now.

You can't change decades of problems overnight.

At least this administration is taking steps to improve the country and they are making incremental progress. They're taking steps to improve the taxi, tuktuk and motorcycle businesses, just announced that they plan to reduce traffic fatalities, corrupt government officials are being removed from their positions, tried, jailed, safes full of ill-gotten gains confiscated.

It will take time but at least they are making progress. It's easier to sit back and complain and regurgitate tired old jabs at Thailand than it is to actually do something constructive.

Look at the U.S., the wealthiest, most powerful first world nation. Nearly every day they have mass murders going on there and not only are they not fixing the problem, it's getting worse.

Yet some people here expect the Thai government to be able to snap their fingers and magically eliminate 100% of the bad practices and corruption in the country.

I expect to hear criticism if they're doing something wrong but when they're taking action and making progress in the right direction, can't you whiners just be glad they're doing something positive instead of always trying to find a negative angle to complain about?

What are you doing to make Thailand better?

A pretty weak rose colored glasses brigade defense..... So after thirty years of the

government talking about stopping tourists being ripped off, nothing has happened.

In fact the police are often mixed up in these crimes, with the jet ski scam being

one of their favorites. So you fail to see the inherent humor in yet another mindless

statement about cracking down on these scams ?? Wow.. To those with a sense

of humor, the foxes guarding the hen house parable comes to mind....

Regarding the ability of the current government to do something about these scams

that create so much damage for tourism, Thailand at present has a form of government

that has one man at the top giving orders, and everyone else following them. This

type of government starts with the letter D, and I am not able to name it. While this

is generally a poor form of government, the upside is they can do whatever they want.

If they started doing summary executions of jet ski scammers next week, I can assure

you that odious scam would instantly stop. Just remember, Mussolini made the trains

run on time..........

Edited December 4, 2015 by EyesWideOpen

[gandalf12]

Thais have the false impression that ALL farangs have a money tree and just want to share, when the truth is that they have worked hard most of their life instead of just sleeping in a hammock and drinking lo cal, yes it does need someone to sort it out, unfortunatly talk is cheap so SFA will get done . as the saying goes money talks BS walks

They also dont realise that many foreigners save up for anything up to 2 years so they can afford a 2 week holiday in Thailand. They need to realise, and I know most of them dont realise it, but foreigners also pay tax in their home country, a lot of tax. So because the salaries look a lot higher than those in Thailand, the deductions are also higher

[seedy]

One Racist post removed

Post like this again and earn a posting holiday

[Dap]

How cute is that? Thailand calls them

"tricksters", while the rest of the known

world might call them ... criminals!

[Nowisee]

The government announces that they are taking action to improve the situation in Thailand and every single comment is negative.

In one of the ten paragraphs they mention Chinese tour operators, nowhere do they state the problem is exclusively with foreign booking sites or foreign scammers.

So what if they didn't do anything about it 30 years ago, they're doing something about it now.

You can't change decades of problems overnight.

At least this administration is taking steps to improve the country and they are making incremental progress. They're taking steps to improve the taxi, tuktuk and motorcycle businesses, just announced that they plan to reduce traffic fatalities, corrupt government officials are being removed from their positions, tried, jailed, safes full of ill-gotten gains confiscated.

It will take time but at least they are making progress. It's easier to sit back and complain and regurgitate tired old jabs at Thailand than it is to actually do something constructive.

Look at the U.S., the wealthiest, most powerful first world nation. Nearly every day they have mass murders going on there and not only are they not fixing the problem, it's getting worse.

Yet some people here expect the Thai government to be able to snap their fingers and magically eliminate 100% of the bad practices and corruption in the country.

I expect to hear criticism if they're doing something wrong but when they're taking action and making progress in the right direction, can't you whiners just be glad they're doing something positive instead of always trying to find a negative angle to complain about?

What are you doing to make Thailand better?

You fail to see the humor in their rhetoric is the only thing I can guess.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Nowisee

[onetime]

I'm planning my exit, and a website.

[Guitar God]

To respond to the comments on my post:

Maybe it's because I don't live in Bangkok or Pattaya but in Ubon I've seen more improvements here in the last two years than I have in the past ten. I give credit where credit's due. They're finally making progress, I don't see the benefit on publicy peeing on it.

Although I'm more a fan of democracy than top-down governing, Thailand has a 80 year history of it and the last party in charge of the constitutional monarchy couldn't even take down a roadblock that protesters set up on a main throughfare that ruined businesses and inconvenienced people for almost a year.

I used to regularly be stopped by police with their hand out, that hasn't happened recently. I used to find it near impossible to find a taxi that would take me where I wanted to go, that doesn't happen anymore. Corrupt leaders are getting booted out, things are getting cleaned up. Thailand is getting better, not worse and to me, that's a good thing.

I'm not thin-skinned and I'm not wearing any rose-colored glasses, when I see a positive headline I just just tired of clicking on good news and reading a bunch of arm-chair quarterbacks whining about it because they want to write but they don't have anything constructive to say about it.

And btw, Mussolini didn't make the trains run on time. They do in Switzerland and Japan though.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/historicalmyths/a/Did-Mussolini-Get-The-Trains-Running-On-Time.htm

[EyesWideOpen]

To respond to the comments on my post:

Maybe it's because I don't live in Bangkok or Pattaya but in Ubon I've seen more improvements here in the last two years than I have in the past ten. I give credit where credit's due. They're finally making progress, I don't see the benefit on publicy peeing on it.

Although I'm more a fan of democracy than top-down governing, Thailand has a 80 year history of it and the last party in charge of the constitutional monarchy couldn't even take down a roadblock that protesters set up on a main throughfare that ruined businesses and inconvenienced people for almost a year.

I used to regularly be stopped by police with their hand out, that hasn't happened recently. I used to find it near impossible to find a taxi that would take me where I wanted to go, that doesn't happen anymore. Corrupt leaders are getting booted out, things are getting cleaned up. Thailand is getting better, not worse and to me, that's a good thing.

I'm not thin-skinned and I'm not wearing any rose-colored glasses, when I see a positive headline I just just tired of clicking on good news and reading a bunch of arm-chair quarterbacks whining about it because they want to write but they don't have anything constructive to say about it.

And btw, Mussolini didn't make the trains run on time. They do in Switzerland and Japan though.

http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/historicalmyths/a/Did-Mussolini-Get-The-Trains-Running-On-Time.htm

Psst...... the phrase about trains running on time is a metaphor for

propaganda issued by one man government rule..

http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.asp

Origins: Every political leader — whether he be a democratically elected representative or a usurping tyrant — seeks to gain broad public support, because the greater his support, the greater his power. That power may ultimately be used for good or for bad, but either way it must be obtained before it can be wielded.

One of the best ways to gain the support of the people you want to lead is to do something of benefit to them. Failing that, the next best thing is to convince them that you have done something of benefit to them, even though you really haven't. So it was with Benito Mussolini and the Italian railway system.

Edited December 4, 2015 by EyesWideOpen