Pattaya: In reversal, foreign tourists accused of running scam

[louse1953]

Another scam!!!! Tourists have been doing this for at least 40 years that i know of.

[spike]

List of my 4 favorite scams:

1. On the way from the Airport you are informed by Taxi driver your Hotel burnt down to the ground last month, but he knows another hotel......

Has never happened to me or any one I know...urban myth.

[louse1953]

Of course the vendor is going to say he didn't scam them , why admit his guilt? For the amount of money 12,000b divided by two 600B each not hardly worth it and I doubt the insurance would pay anyway. Looks like another saving face exercise to assure the punters everything is fine in LOS

Well actually Thai scammers usually admit guilt pretty quick,BiB have very good questions!!!

[uktony]

Mainland people

Will spend Chinese new year trying to avoid them

[darren84310]

It's a little over 300 dollars. Hardly worth the effort or risk to anyone who can afford a vacation.

For a Chinese " tourists " $300 is a lot of money, and beside, a scam is a scam,

some people enjoy running a scam just for the hell of it....

An insurance company would seriously pay out based on this..... I very much doubt it.

[UnkleMoooose]

Not really much of a robbery if you get something in return for your cash. In another time and place it might be described as "trade".

[Mr Money Bags]

When you have locals running scams for decades, that are perpetrated upon foreigners, it is only a matter of time until you see various permutations of those scams, reactions from people who have been, and continue to be fleeced, and creative solutions and ideas. The Thai guy did not get hurt, the Chinese guys are simply being creative, and the only party who suffers a loss is a large insurance company. Very, very few have sympathy for the entity. That is what is known the world over as a win-win deal.

In my opinion, anytime money can be stolen from an large insurance company, or a bank, that is a service to mankind.

Not really. Banks and insurance companies just pass the losses on to all the other customers. So people who cheat them, cheat all of us.

Precisely.

Thank you for saying it far better than I managed to......

You're Welcome!!

[sawadee1947]

Weird story...sounds strange....For me I don't have 12000 Baht in my pockets when I'm going to stay at the beach..And you?

[pedro01]

Re: But in this case, police said it could be the Chinese tourists who played the scam.

The problem here is that the Thai vendor is not denying that he received the 12,000 baht. There is also the problem that we don't know how much the crocodile bags are worth on the open market. So lets assume the Chinese tourists paid the 12,000 baht and put in a claim for 12,000 baht (robbery) as per police report. Where is the profit? Do they get to keep the crocodile bags which they can subsequently sell. Lot of unanswered questions. IMHO the Thai police comment that "it could be" a scam is just another tactic for .... (you fill in the blanks).

They were plastic and not made of crocodile at all. So on that basis, I think that the Thai vendor still committed fraud.

Unless he claimed that he explained to them they were plastic and worth 12k.

[pedro01]

Of course the vendor is going to say he didn't scam them , why admit his guilt? For the amount of money 12,000b divided by two 600B each not hardly worth it and I doubt the insurance would pay anyway. Looks like another saving face exercise to assure the punters everything is fine in LOS

Any chance you can loan me 12,000 Baht.

I'll pay you back in 2 installments of 600...

[Rimmer]

Multiple off topic and troll posts have been removed, please stay on topic

[oxforddon]

From a country where entitlements are few, it is amazing just how many entitlements some Chinese visitors expect.

It could just be naivety but somehow I doubt that.

Additionally, coming from the center of fake manufacture, I doubt if they could not recognise fake crocodile skin.

[Transporter]

So two plonkers got sold two bags and thought they got a bargain until they saw the same bags for half the price elsewhere so decided to come up with this BS story to get revenge on the innocent, clever street vendors. Lying mug tourists, go home you make me sick.

[harrry]

"...the tourists did not seek help until 10pm that night, 10 hours after they said the incident took place."

What "victim" waits 10 hours to report a "crime"?

I live surrounded by literally millions of Chinese people every day. Most of them are lovely people.

But anyone who thinks the Thais are the scam kings is seriously mistaken......

You're Welcome!!

The scam if it happenned was on the island. It is quite possible that they did not arrive on the mainland until late.

[NoshowJones]

I know the insurance business pretty well and I have never come across a policy that would cover pecuniary loss due to extortion or threat of violence. Also, as the article isn't clear, if they had then been robbed of the bags, with no proof of purchase no insurance company would pay a claim.

It is also a fact that insurance fraud is prevalent throughout the world; it's not just limited to a few foreigners on holiday in Thailand. Nothing out of the ordinary at all in any of those cases quoted and with the general lax attitude of the police here, I would wager that several false robberies and losses are reported each year in Thailand without the police batting an eyelid.

The title of this article is a complete misnomer as the only people getting scammed are the insurance companies and from what I gather from most TV posters, they are fair game anyway!

It is also a fact that insurance fraud is prevalent throughout the world;

Yes it is, but it is Karma, Although I have read of some good honest insurance companies in Thailand, there are fraudsters who think up every method possible

to avoid paying out claims.

Back in the UK, there are always cases about people making a claim and being refused a payout, going by reading reports in a well known Scottish Sunday newspaper over

the years.

I am not saying it doesn't happen in Thailand, but it is nowhere near what it's like in the UK.

[NoshowJones]

When you have locals running scams for decades, that are perpetrated upon foreigners, it is only a matter of time until you see various permutations of those scams, reactions from people who have been, and continue to be fleeced, and creative solutions and ideas. The Thai guy did not get hurt, the Chinese guys are simply being creative, and the only party who suffers a loss is a large insurance company. Very, very few have sympathy for the entity. That is what is known the world over as a win-win deal.

In my opinion, anytime money can be stolen from an large insurance company, or a bank, that is a service to mankind.

You bet it is, and don't forget governments.

[NoshowJones]

All sounds a bit fishy. Firstly who carries 12,000 baht with them on the beach. Secondly unless the vendor was Mike Tyson you would tell him to get lost and dare him to start a fight, in public!!

Secondly unless the vendor was Mike Tyson you would tell him to get lost and dare him to start a fight, in public!!

Would you?? So you are willing to take on about six Thais?

[NoshowJones]

When you have locals running scams for decades, that are perpetrated upon foreigners, it is only a matter of time until you see various permutations of those scams, reactions from people who have been, and continue to be fleeced, and creative solutions and ideas. The Thai guy did not get hurt, the Chinese guys are simply being creative, and the only party who suffers a loss is a large insurance company. Very, very few have sympathy for the entity. That is what is known the world over as a win-win deal.

In my opinion, anytime money can be stolen from an large insurance company, or a bank, that is a service to mankind.

Not really. Banks and insurance companies just pass the losses on to all the other customers. So people who cheat them, cheat all of us.

Not so, banks and insurance companies will always charge you the maximum they can get away with.

Think about this, supposing someone just found out a way where it became impossible to scam banks and insurance companies.

Do you honestly think their charges would drop?

[Alwyn]

Claiming on insurance because you bought something? Okay then....

[flyingdoc]

Sounds warped to me !

[NoshowJones]

Claiming on insurance because you bought something? Okay then....

Who? me? tut tut.

[elgordo38]

so next time the vendor does this to a tourist the tourist should take up the offer of the punch ...then there would be a complaint about the vendor

Why not take one for the team.

[Scouse123]

It's a little over 300 dollars. Hardly worth the effort or risk to anyone who can afford a vacation.

For a Chinese " tourists " $300 is a lot of money, and beside, a scam is a scam,

some people enjoy running a scam just for the hell of it....

And some Thai policemen love shifting the blame all the time and reinventing the story to blame ' foreigners! '........not just for the hell of it, because they refuse to accept that their nationals selling things at the beach are mafia scumbags! or is it because they get constant ' kickbacks '

[elgordo38]

Chinese seldom pass up a chance to beat someone out of their hard earned money...experts in shady commerce for thousands of years...

I agree just take a look at how their government operates. Investors listen to Mr. Xi's rubber numbers and keep dumping their money into the stock market there. Rumors are 2015 GDP growth will be 6.9%. Mr. Xi is out with 7% topping this number ever so slightly like any good/lying politician should. Economists are already reading the entrails and coming up with something like 4-5% growth. The Chinese stock market should be interesting this morning. Can they still hoodwink investors or is the jig up this time. Anyone want to buy some Puerto Rico Utility bonds?

[Khon Kaen Dave]

Scam's? Thais?not even in the same grade.Its pure money with menaces.The likes of Nick Leeson should come over and give lesson's.I know a few likely lads from back home,who given a couple of year's to learn the ropes,would show these people a thing or two regarding scams.

[fekman]

When you have locals running scams for decades, that are perpetrated upon foreigners, it is only a matter of time until you see various permutations of those scams, reactions from people who have been, and continue to be fleeced, and creative solutions and ideas. The Thai guy did not get hurt, the Chinese guys are simply being creative, and the only party who suffers a loss is a large insurance company. Very, very few have sympathy for the entity. That is what is known the world over as a win-win deal.

In my opinion, anytime money can be stolen from an large insurance company, or a bank, that is a service to mankind.

Not really. Banks and insurance companies just pass the losses on to all the other customers. So people who cheat them, cheat all of us.

Agreed. That means that those policies are SO overpriced, they only make sense to purchase them if you're going to file a false claim.

[Lekong]

It's a little over 300 dollars. Hardly worth the effort or risk to anyone who can afford a vacation.

For a Chinese " tourists " $300 is a lot of money, and beside, a scam is a scam,

some people enjoy running a scam just for the hell of it....

Those Chinese who can afford a vacation here are very rich and $300 will mean very little or nothing to them. Do you think Chinese who go abroad on vacations are that mean? I have lived with them for 6 years and I think you have missed the point entirely.

[spidermike007]

When you have locals running scams for decades, that are perpetrated upon foreigners, it is only a matter of time until you see various permutations of those scams, reactions from people who have been, and continue to be fleeced, and creative solutions and ideas. The Thai guy did not get hurt, the Chinese guys are simply being creative, and the only party who suffers a loss is a large insurance company. Very, very few have sympathy for the entity. That is what is known the world over as a win-win deal.

In my opinion, anytime money can be stolen from an large insurance company, or a bank, that is a service to mankind.

Not really. Banks and insurance companies just pass the losses on to all the other customers. So people who cheat them, cheat all of us.

Not so, banks and insurance companies will always charge you the maximum they can get away with.

Think about this, supposing someone just found out a way where it became impossible to scam banks and insurance companies.

Do you honestly think their charges would drop?

What whalebone man said was absolutely incorrect. All banks and insurance companies and credit card companies have a certain percentage of their net income set aside for yearly losses. It is already factored in. They would never reduce the costs to their customers if they saved any of that. So steal all you can from them, every opportunity you get. It is fun, and it is a positive step for mankind.

[TrevorS]

It's a little over 300 dollars. Hardly worth the effort or risk to anyone who can afford a vacation.

Thats more than one month pay for most Chinese!!

[mankondang]

Of course the vendor is going to say he didn't scam them , why admit his guilt? For the amount of money 12,000b divided by two 600B each not hardly worth it and I doubt the insurance would pay anyway. Looks like another saving face exercise to assure the punters everything is fine in LOS

"12,000 divided by two is 600". Please check your calculator. Yes, we know, you used a cheap calculator that the Thais "scammed" you into buying.