Con Artists In Siam Square

[austallia_1980]

Last week I was cutting through Siam Square to get to MBK, and a middle aged thai women comes up to me grabs the end of my shirt and says Suay-Mak-Mak... I just look at her and make a noise like "Uh" and walk away.

Yesterday, after I eat lunch in Siam Square a different middle aged women comes up to me and starts telling me "this area no good shopping for man". i am curious to hear the scam so i let her continue... She starts asking me what I want to buy, then recommends platinum and some other shopping areas. If she has a pitch, it seems to be very delayed so I just get out of there....

Im back again today and I see the same chick approaching some other farang who are just minding their own business.

If any of you have connection with tourist police you might want to let them know something fishy is going on in Siam Square.

[Thaddeus]

1st instance ..... maybe you just happened to be wearing a nice shirt.

2nd instance ..... maybe she was just trying to drum up some business, nothing wrong with that.

3rd instance .... if it was the first lady, she's a shirt fancier, if it was the second one, she's just working hard at getting some trade.

Doesn't make it a scam.

[fruittbatt]

Last week I was cutting through Siam Square to get to MBK, and a middle aged thai women comes up to me grabs the end of my shirt and says Suay-Mak-Mak... I just look at her and make a noise like "Uh" and walk away.

Yesterday, after I eat lunch in Siam Square a different middle aged women comes up to me and starts telling me "this area no good shopping for man". i am curious to hear the scam so i let her continue... She starts asking me what I want to buy, then recommends platinum and some other shopping areas. If she has a pitch, it seems to be very delayed so I just get out of there....

Im back again today and I see the same chick approaching some other farang who are just minding their own business.

If any of you have connection with tourist police you might want to let them know something fishy is going on in Siam Square.

There are many scams around that area, because it is prime pickings, with many newbie tourists wandering around gob-smacked and with baht burning holes in their bum bags. The classic scam which Looney Planet probably tut-tuts to death is the "government jewellery sale". Other variations include my friend's shop: "here shops closed today...go to Pratunam", go on a tour of a lifetime in my friend's very cheap tuk tuk, taxi or whatever.

Many of the touts are very plausible. A few years ago I took a friend to do the tourist thing at Jim Thompson's. On the way back down the soi we were accosted by a well-fed man in an ill-fittting suit. He spoke very good English & claimed to be the GM of an automotive corporation. I told him in Thai that we did not want to buy anything and were in a hurry. My friend could scarcely believe my rudeness. She stayed talking while I walked ahead. She was very keen to jump straight in a taxi and go to the gem sale he had just attended. She came back considerably poorer and wiser with a very ugly overpriced ring.

As she said, "when you are in there you feel like you have to buy something".

Edited November 9, 2006 by fruittbatt

[bkkmadness]

Many of the touts are very plausible. A few years ago I took a friend to do the tourist thing at Jim Thompson's. On the way back down the soi we were accosted by a well-fed man in an ill-fittting suit. He spoke very good English & claimed to be the GM of an automotive corporation. I told him in Thai that we did not want to buy anything and were in a hurry. My friend could scarcely believe my rudeness. She stayed talking while I walked ahead. She was very keen to jump straight in a taxi and go to the gem sale he had just attended. She came back considerably poorer and wiser with a very ugly overpriced ring.

As she said, "when you are in there you feel like you have to buy something".

I'm sure your friend feels safe from scams in Bangkok with you helping her out.

Edited November 9, 2006 by bkkmadness

[fruittbatt]

Many of the touts are very plausible. A few years ago I took a friend to do the tourist thing at Jim Thompson's. On the way back down the soi we were accosted by a well-fed man in an ill-fittting suit. He spoke very good English & claimed to be the GM of an automotive corporation. I told him in Thai that we did not want to buy anything and were in a hurry. My friend could scarcely believe my rudeness. She stayed talking while I walked ahead. She was very keen to jump straight in a taxi and go to the gem sale he had just attended. She came back considerably poorer and wiser with a very ugly overpriced ring.

As she said, "when you are in there you feel like you have to buy something".

I'm sure your friend feels safe from scams in Bangkok with you helping her out.

Madness it was not for lack of persuasion and advice on my part. She simply would not believe me. Stopping a charging bull would have been a darn sight easier!

Strange thing is this same woman had been trading in Indo for years, and figured she could recognize a scam when she saw it on her first visit to Thailand.

Edited November 9, 2006 by fruittbatt

[ThaiPauly]

Tuk Tuk drivers keep trying to scam me into going with them to see naked ladies

As if I would do such a thing

[In the Rai!]

Tuk Tuk drivers keep trying to scam me into going with them to see naked ladies

As if I would do such a thing

And someone told me that there are shops here in Thailand selling fake stuff, selling polo shists that arent realy polo. How come I have never seen these. They must be very good at hiding them.LOL

Australia_1980,

on a serious note, thanks for the heads up. I will certainly have a look out next time I get to Siam

Cheers

INR

[Cigarette Burn]

austallia_1980 Where are you from? What the he1l is austallia?

[Rumourz]

Tuk Tuk drivers keep trying to scam me into going with them to see naked ladies

hahaha.. that's so true. I am a lady still they have the same suggestions.. hahahaha...

Anyway, Thanks to the posters here. Whenever I ride a tuk tuk, I told them please bring me straight to where I want to go and NO STOP! I made it straight forward that I am not up to any hanky panky business. So, they would either back off or really send me to where I want to go.

Edited November 10, 2006 by Rumourz

[Simmo]

austallia_1980 Where are you from? What the he1l is austallia?

It's on the border of Austria and Italy