Beware:: Scam at Chiang Mai Airport

[ianf]

At 8pm this evening I was leaving the airport car park (the exit on the one-way side road), handed in my ticket. As I did so the man at the 'counter' leaned over and looked at my passenger (a UK friend, not my Thai wife) which I thought was odd. I handed him 50baht and waited for my 30 baht change. I didn't get it. He swore that I gave him 20 baht waving a really old tatty 20-baht note at me as proof. If we run over this again, the checking of my passenger was to make sure that I did not have a Thai with me so that he could scam me. OK small money, but a lot of 30 bahts add up. I need to find out to whom I can complain about this. Is there a complaints procedure at the airport?

Edited February 19, 2016 by ianf

[chiang mai]

Don't complain to anyone, next time refuse to move until you get your change, switch off your engine and make a scene, let traffic back up,he'll make that refund pretty quickly.

[MadMac]

Why did you give the guy 50B in the first place?

[ianf]

Why did you give the guy 50B in the first place?

Because I had nothing smaller.

[Briggsy]

Why did you give the guy 50B in the first place?

One would assume because he did not have 20 Baht in change. We got to the second reply before the normal "blame the victim" game began.

Well done, next time see if you can get your dig in before any other replies at all.

[cyberfarang]

Why did you give the guy 50B in the first place?

Because I had nothing smaller.

Thank you for the warning. will keep this in mind.

Hate to say this but don`t rate your chances of receiving justice on this one. At least you`ll know for next time and so will we thanks to you.

Edited February 19, 2016 by cyberfarang

[MadMac]

Oh well, and if you would have given him 500B he would still wave with that old 20B bill, right? I have my dashcam with 2 cams, 1 pointed to the right window. Would be cool to catch one <deleted> on the spot, I'm trying for 2 years plus, never succeeded

[fey]

not sure what a "thai wife" has to do with this scam, that's no guarantee of not getting scammed (unless he really likes your wife )

this is one reason why i always break 1000 notes at 7-11. they have cameras at the register and you could possible bring it to the manager.
nothing else you can really do but try a "scene" and cause problems.

[worgeordie]

You were lucky,it could have been a 500 or god forbid a 1000 THB note,

at our local small hardware store,2 times the lady tried to give me change

for a 500 THB, when I had given her a !000 THB note,so every time after

that if I was paying with 500 or 1000 THB note ,I would wave it over my head,

and we both would laugh,don't know if she just tried it on with Farangs or

Thais to.

regards worgeordie

[invex]

This scam is everywhere now. My Thai wife had to insist to give her the change at least 3 times during last weeks. Warorot and other markets. They always did return but if you not complain it is gone...... LOS: land of scams

[thrilled]

When your A farang it's business as usual.Get use to it or do what I do.I go to A bank and get 3000-6000 baht at A time of small baht.Then I usually take 2000-4000 baht with me where ever I go.Then I give the correct change.

[northernjohn]

When your A farang it's business as usual.Get use to it or do what I do.I go to A bank and get 3000-6000 baht at A time of small baht.Then I usually take 2000-4000 baht with me where ever I go.Then I give the correct change.

I go to the bank once a month to get the monthly spending money I always get at least 10,000 baht in 100s 50s and 20s.

I must admit that when they get ratty looking they can look close to the same. I do admit that I need cataracts removed but I have often made that mistake so I always look closely at the bill when I get it out.

[Chiengmaijoe]

Being short-changed for 30 baht is not a scam. A scam is being swindled out of thousands.

[MadMac]

Wife last time complained I paid in Satang coins . Not appropriate something, gave here a smile.....

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I need to find out to whom I can complain about this.

The Thaivisa.com Farang forum is the perfect place to complain about this, or anything else for that matter.

Go!

[landtrout]

When your A farang it's business as usual.Get use to it or do what I do.I go to A bank and get 3000-6000 baht at A time of small baht.Then I usually take 2000-4000 baht with me where ever I go.Then I give the correct change.

So, in order to avoid being caught without a twenty baht bill, your suggestion is that I should change somewhere between three and six thousand baht in larger bills into somewhere between 150 and 300 twenty baht bills, and that I should then carry somewhere between 100 and 200 of those where ever I go in order to protect myself from the "business as usual"?

Thanks for the tip, I have to admit that's never occurred to me!

[Chiengmaijoe]

When your A farang it's business as usual.Get use to it or do what I do.I go to A bank and get 3000-6000 baht at A time of small baht.Then I usually take 2000-4000 baht with me where ever I go.Then I give the correct change.

So, in order to avoid being caught without a twenty baht bill, your suggestion is that I should change somewhere between three and six thousand baht in larger bills into somewhere between 150 and 300 twenty baht bills, and that I should then carry somewhere between 100 and 200 of those where ever I go in order to protect myself from the "business as usual"?

Thanks for the tip, I have to admit that's never occurred to me!

This forum is full of people living in fear of being diddled out of small change, who go to extreme lengths to ensure that they are never taken for a fool, whilst at the time making themselves look stupid and petty to everyone around them. The fact that someone is so concerned of allegedly being short-changed 30 baht that he feels compelled to write a scam-alert post only serves to prove my point. The choice of words says a lot about the sense of paranoia so many expats have. Nigerians don't scam people out of 30 baht. Confidence tricksters don't connive ways to deprive you of small change. Being short-changed by 30 baht is just that. It's not a scam, it's petty theft. But since these guys are so entrenched in their paranoia those are the words they choose. 30 baht scam. That's funny.

As expected, no shortage of paranoid replies. "When your (sic) A farang it's business as usual". "This scam is everywhere now".

The daftest reply was "Why did you give him 50 baht in the first place?". Is 50 baht such a high denomination that he finds it so incredible that people carry them around or is it that he always has the correct money in order to prevent this ever happening? The obsession so many people here have over small change is fascinating, and the lengths they will go to, like making sure they always have small change is hilarious. If this wasn't TVCM, nobody would believe this stuff. Keep 'em coming.

To the OP - A complaints procedure at the airport!? If there is, and you plan on going along could you please let me know, I'd like to be in on that one.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Chiengmaijoe

[invex]

Thanks to individuals like "Chiengmaijoe" this "scam" can continue.

Thanks to individuals like "ianf" it might reduce, even stop.

Whether it is 30, 300, 3.000 or 3 million......people lose money by fraudulent activities of others.

I by myself got foreign currecy exchanged with the mobile banking van near Night Bazar 3 times. On EVERY occasion and counting the notes when he handed them over, I got shorted by 1.000 or 2.000 Baht. EVERY TIME by the same man. Looking at him, he then handed over the "missing" notes with a big smile. Now, how many money makes that for him over the years?

The amount of money is completely irrelevant, it is the action and behavior that is condemnable.

It is a bit as: the food was poisened just a bit, I got very sick 2 days only so, just accept it. If it were 3 days, however, I would complain.........

PS.: the OP doesn't look stupid at all by telling this, others defending bad behavior might.

[sunnyjim5]

"I by myself got foreign currecy exchanged with the mobile banking van near Night Bazar 3 times. On EVERY occasion and counting the notes when he handed them over, I got shorted by 1.000 or 2.000 Baht. EVERY TIME by the same man."

Fool me once shame one you , fool me twice shame on me.

Only a fool returns a third time !

[Dante99]

They are out to get you every time that is for sure and even more so when you are with a UK friend. You just have to remember that and wear your mean paranoid face all the time to scare the sh-t out of them so they do not mess with you in any way. That is especially important if you are a little squirt. GRRRRRRR

[TheSiemReaper]

When your A farang it's business as usual.Get use to it or do what I do.I go to A bank and get 3000-6000 baht at A time of small baht.Then I usually take 2000-4000 baht with me where ever I go.Then I give the correct change.

So, in order to avoid being caught without a twenty baht bill, your suggestion is that I should change somewhere between three and six thousand baht in larger bills into somewhere between 150 and 300 twenty baht bills, and that I should then carry somewhere between 100 and 200 of those where ever I go in order to protect myself from the "business as usual"?

Thanks for the tip, I have to admit that's never occurred to me!

This forum is full of people living in fear of being diddled out of small change, who go to extreme lengths to ensure that they are never taken for a fool, whilst at the time making themselves look stupid and petty to everyone around them. The fact that someone is so concerned of allegedly being short-changed 30 baht that he feels compelled to write a scam-alert post only serves to prove my point. The choice of words says a lot about the sense of paranoia so many expats have. Nigerians don't scam people out of 30 baht. Confidence tricksters don't connive ways to deprive you of small change. Being short-changed by 30 baht is just that. It's not a scam, it's petty theft. But since these guys are so entrenched in their paranoia those are the words they choose. 30 baht scam. That's funny.

As expected, no shortage of paranoid replies. "When your (sic) A farang it's business as usual". "This scam is everywhere now".

The daftest reply was "Why did you give him 50 baht in the first place?". Is 50 baht such a high denomination that he finds it so incredible that people carry them around or is it that he always has the correct money in order to prevent this ever happening? The obsession so many people here have over small change is fascinating, and the lengths they will go to, like making sure they always have small change is hilarious. If this wasn't TVCM, nobody would believe this stuff. Keep 'em coming.

To the OP - A complaints procedure at the airport!? If there is, and you plan on going along could you please let me know, I'd like to be in on that one.

I couldn't agree more. Soon we'll have a post about the "pavement scammer" where someone dropped a 10 Baht coin on Ratvithi Road and it rolled down a drain. The impoverished expat will be demanding where to call so they can mobilize a full team to search the sewers for it. The other expats will demand to know why someone was carrying a 10 Baht coin when they could have broken it down into Satang to safeguard against loss and theft. Finally, there will be a handy tip on sellotaping the Satang to the insoles in your shoes so that they can't fall out of your pockets by accident.

Better to write the occasional dollar off than to spend your life dwelling in ever increasing stupidity trying to protect it.

[dru2]

Jesus.... So what?

[SoiBiker]

Shall we have a whip round to compensate this poor chap for his loss? I'll chip in five baht to start things rolling.

[NancyL]

The most sensible advice came from NorthJohn and it's what Hubby and I do. Bangkok Bank has branches every 300 meters in this town, so it's easy to maintain a stock of small bills at home. No need to use the "bank of 7/11" to obtain your small bills.

I just make it a practice to pay for EVERYTHING exactly. Most of the clerks here don't know how to make change anyway.

[Bill97]

The most sensible advice came from NorthJohn and it's what Hubby and I do. Bangkok Bank has branches every 300 meters in this town, so it's easy to maintain a stock of small bills at home. No need to use the "bank of 7/11" to obtain your small bills.

I just make it a practice to pay for EVERYTHING exactly. Most of the clerks here don't know how to make change anyway.

I wonder how they made change correctly for me 99.9% of the time for over 20 years if that is the case. Perhaps you fell off the bus again Nancy. Are you challenging Donald Trump?

[dru2]

Me too - only over 30 years...

'Most of the clerks here don't know how to make change anyway'.

Complete nonsense.

Edited February 20, 2016 by dru2

[hml367]

Me too - only over 30 years...

'Most of the clerks here don't know how to make change anyway'.

Complete nonsense.

And very condescending towards Thai people.

[Loaded]

maybe the parking fee was 50 baht

[Ricardo]

Thanks for the heads-up from the OP.

I always carry a few B10-coins in my car, to pay at the airport or Kad-Suan-Kaew, for parking.

If paying with a B1,000-note, for example at the petrol-station, I always say "nung pan baht" as I hand the note over, it seems to work.

[MESmith]

Thanks for the heads-up from the OP.

I always carry a few B10-coins in my car, to pay at the airport or Kad-Suan-Kaew, for parking.

If paying with a B1,000-note, for example at the petrol-station, I always say "nung pan baht" as I hand the note over, it seems to work.

At most proper shops like 7-11, Tesco etc the cashier always acknowledges 1000bt given.