Sukhumvit Smooth Talking Scammer Still On Loose

[John_Rambo]

Expect him gone within the next few months.

I'm back in Bangkok in January. If he's not gone by then i might have to have a little word with this scamster....

[ColPyat]

Expect him gone within the next few months.

I'm back in Bangkok in January. If he's not gone by then i might have to have a little word with this scamster....

Going around with your attitude i believe you should really familiarize yourself with Bangkok rules.

Basically, it's very simple: if you are not living here - don't have words with anyone, because here nobody cares about fairness. Today you might beat up some bloke you don't know, and tomorrow that bloke will be waiting for you with ten armed mates.

And, yes, many farang here have an extensive network of Thai friends and relatives, who don't like some loudmouth playing Rambo.

[John_Rambo]

^ Hey, who said anything about beating him up? A man's gotta earn a living, and i don't fancy English teaching much neither.

[kash]

Going around with your attitude i believe you should really familiarize yourself with Bangkok rules.

Uhh? Since when did this just apply for Bangkok and not the rest of the world? That's one paragraph of pure BS, well written...now flush it.

[ColPyat]

Uhh? Since when did this just apply for Bangkok and not the rest of the world? That's one paragraph of pure BS, well written...now flush it.

It were two paragraphs, by the way.

And in Bangkok it counts even more so than in the rest of the world, judging from constant whines and diatribes of tossers who complain that Thais are "cowards" who don't fight "fair" because they always gang up on people.

Edited November 17, 2006 by ColPyat

[John_Rambo]

I have to add that this scamster guy isn't Thai, and nor does he have any family or friends to gang up on anyone with.

[ColPyat]

I have to add that this scamster guy isn't Thai, and nor does he have any family or friends to gang up on anyone with.

You never know, the food chain here goes mysterious ways at times.

Many of those farang scamsters do live in the slums, and supply a large network of people with their earnings who would be very pissed off if a tourist on a bit too much self righteous testosteron interferes with something he has not the slightest comprehension of.

If you are that streetwise hard man you claim to be (of which i have some serious doubts), you should know that people don't interfere with others business as long as it does not personally threaten you, your family or your friends.

So what, he makes a living scamming some citizens? None of your business.

[VanZam]

If Chuck were here he'd roundhouse kick him back to Canada to help him save on airfares

[Farang007]

Who are you going to report him to? I think you can find better things to do with your time. It is not as though he is bring harm to anyone, only 500baht, and if people give it to him, chances are that they know he is desperate, and that they know he is full of crap but pity him.

I think you should spend your time visiting kids in the hospital, and not down at the police station trying to convince a bunch of crooked cops that they should bust a small time scammer.

Plus, you may want to examine your own morals. You dont engage in DVD piracy do you?

[The Dude]

I don't agree with Maizefarmer that the guy will be gone in a few months. He's been at this game for almost 5 years so I'd expect him to continue indefinitely. I sincerely doubt this dude makes visa runs

[Farang007]

when i was a kid, we lived in a rough neighborhood. drug addicts would knock on our door, and my dad would give a few bucks here and there. everyone knew he was good for a few bucks, but they didnt abuse his chairty, and no one ever broke into our house, although our neighbors who slammed the door in their face had worse luck.

the guy is scamming 500b, not the price of a plane ticket. if he came up to me, i might give it to him or i might not depending on what type of mood i was in.

Edited November 17, 2006 by Farang007

[Farang007]

Actually, I take it back. There is too much poverty in Thailand for a chap like this. If it was in America, I might have more pity on him. In Thailand, I have less pity and wouldnt give any $.

I still dont see any merrit in causing problems for the guy.

[The Dude]

It is true that some people he speals have sympathy for him. It's like my OP in the suk beggar revisited thread (maybe someone can unearth the original beggar thread?). I said in that thread that I alerted a scammee that he was in the midst of a scam. The said scammee had bought the guy an OJ at the 7/11 and was outside with scammer being worked when I pulled aside scammee. I ended up hanging out with scammee around sukhumvit the remainder of that night. The following night I spotted scammee in front of same 7/11 alerting 2 new scammees being worked over by scammer. Said original scammee was now savvy and not speaking very kindly of scammer to new scammees. Once you get worked and you see others getting worked, your sympathy fades away as what happened in this case.

[cdnvic]

This guy is scamming people out of their money and deserves to get pinched for it. The whole "don't be a rat" thing is just grade school level rubbish.

The guy needs to be arrested and deported. The bleeding hearts can feed him while he's awaiting his flight home.

Believe it or not, there are people who get robbed, beaten, or worse and need some real help to get home. Unfortunately because of scum like this, who would ever believe them?

[rafval]

there is another down and out farang that tries selling some sort of home made cards in sukhumvit, maybe its the same guy, this one throws a real tantrum if you dont help him and gets quite nasty, wouldnt be sorry to see him go, but as long as people are polite I dont care what scam they try

[John_Rambo]

If you are that streetwise hard man you claim to be (of which i have some serious doubts), you should know that people don't interfere with others business as long as it does not personally threaten you, your family or your friends.

You shouldn't be lecturing me about what streetwise hard men should and shouldn't do, what do you know about it? By your own admission, your the guy that curls up in a ball and allows people to beat him, rather than stand up for himself.

This scammer guy is a menace, and he gives all the rest of us a bad name in Thailand. Unfortunately he is a part of the falang community in Thailand and the falang community needs to act to have him shipped back home where he can get the care/punishment he requires.

[The Dude]

Hey Rambo dude, The Dude digs your hard line attitude

[britmaveric]

Scammers should be exposed and pointed out to anyone they are plying their trade on. If all locals/regulars did this - the scammers would not make any dosh.

[The Dude]

This guy is scamming people out of their money and deserves to get pinched for it. The whole "don't be a rat" thing is just grade school level rubbish.

The guy needs to be arrested and deported. The bleeding hearts can feed him while he's awaiting his flight home.

Believe it or not, there are people who get robbed, beaten, or worse and need some real help to get home. Unfortunately because of scum like this, who would ever believe them?

Shovel for you dude and naturally shovel for Britm

Edited November 17, 2006 by The Dude

[The Dude]

there is another down and out farang that tries selling some sort of home made cards in sukhumvit, maybe its the same guy, this one throws a real tantrum if you dont help him and gets quite nasty, wouldnt be sorry to see him go, but as long as people are polite I dont care what scam they try

Yeah that card seller dude has been around for about a year now. Can't see that dude making a whole lot of cash using his method

[tropo]

there is another down and out farang that tries selling some sort of home made cards in sukhumvit, maybe its the same guy, this one throws a real tantrum if you dont help him and gets quite nasty, wouldnt be sorry to see him go, but as long as people are polite I dont care what scam they try

Yeah that card seller dude has been around for about a year now. Can't see that dude making a whole lot of cash using his method

It would seem like really hard work to make money this way.

Think how much easier it gets when you're born with a pussy.

Bargirls are scamming guys 24 hours a day, and usually for a lot more than 500. Perhaps we should have them all locked up, or send them back home. We know they are scammers as we have mountains of evidence. We should do the community a favour and stop it too. We know where they work.

Edited November 17, 2006 by tropo

[The Dude]

Tropo Dude, you're getting carried away.

[britmaveric]

Tropo Dude, you're getting carried away.

Tropo is very undiggable!!!!

[Maizefarmer]

In reply to various comments posed on this subject, in late 2005 the following was most certainly the situation with this fellow.

He was picked up on Silom and taken down to Surasak Road police station.

He had a bad case of the “shivers and cold sweats” (which was why he received the attention he did in the first place) – which subsided when he was given methadone by a police doctor. I am no expert but if I am not mistaken that’s a sign of opiate addiction (someone please correct me if I am wrong on this point).

At that point in time his passport was full of 30 days stamps accumulated since mid-2002 (he came into Thailand from Manila). He may well since have given up on getting visa stamps – in which case if he is picked up now that will be the end of the problem.

The police doctor at the time, concerned with his mental state had the embassy contacted, which sent someone down to see to him. From that meeting it was learnt who he was, in terms of his background, history ect…….

To cut a long story short, the police had no option but to release him.

The matter was brought to the attention of a group that acts as a last resort for farangs that fall through the net (guys who genuinely have no recourse to any other help) and he was offered a flight home i.e. pack your bags and come to the airport and you will be put on a plane. He declined that offer.

One can decide for themselves whether one deserves any sympathy if offered help which they decline – and in this case, no , his problems were not such that he did not understand what he was been offered. In fact as I understand the matter, he is all too well aware of his problems – he has just declined offers of help (perhaps that should be “genuine help”). In that regard, perhaps it’s quite fair to say he deserves little sympathy, but that does not absolve authorities of any responsibility to take action.

History has shown all to often that ignoring these types often results in tragedy – if not for themselves, then someone else they come into contact with, with lots of recriminations afterwards along the lines of, “well if they knew about it, why didn’t anyone do something about it”. Hindsight is a great thing.

That was the case late 2005 – what is his situation now?

I have no idea, but the matter has dragged on so long now that in saying he is going to fall foul of the 90 days rule, I have no proof he will, I just know that the same copper who got involved last time is looking for someway of resolving the matter once and for all.

Getting him back home (by deportation under some or other mental health law which I am sure the relevant minister can rule on) before there is a crisis has to be a better option than waiting for the crisis to occur. After all, the fact that he is still behaving now the way he was 5 years ago would indicate the situation is no better now than it was then.

……… and it won’t be the first time a farang has been forcibly sent home under the Thai mental health laws.

There was a case involving a German national in 1986 who had to be sent home. He though landed up in the Thai equivalent of Broadmoor (which for the sake of non UK readers is one of the UK’s secure hospitals). In Thailand its in Surat Thani) where he was kept for about 9 years (!!!) before something was done to help him – which was the point at which the minister at the time decided enough was enough and was going to send him back to Germany on the next Lufthansa flight –whether or not money was produced for a ticket. Surprise, surprise the German embassy quickly piped up and said, “no need, we are quite happy to help in this case”. They could have helped in 1979 when they were first asked!

[ColPyat]

Yes, definately heroin addiction if methadon worked.

Nevertheless, if that person is only heroin addicted, then i would not necessarily worry too much about his mental health, other than that any addiction is a neuroses.

I have known very well another guy who has been scamming folks in the tourist areas for several years until he decided to kick the habit here.

I don't think anyone has the right to interfere with people's lifes, it is their choice. I am all for helping when they ask for help (or when they are mentally so disturbed that they clearly need help). If he has been making a living by telling people stories, even kept up with his visa stamps, then i believe he is well capable of looking after himself.

Maybe he has very valid reasons why he doesn't want to go back home. Many people have nobody left there, and if they are sent back home, it is straight to the street. Living on the street in the west is far worse than here.

I don't understand why people here on the internet boards so often have to judge people, and have no tolerance for people who have chosen a different life style, or made one or the other decision that influenced the rest of their life. If one can't agree with them, just don't give them anything. They are harmless. They are not boiler room low lifes.

And no, i completely disagree that those people "give a bad name" to us farang. On the opposite - people here can see that we farang are not made out of gold, that we are humans as well, that we have poverty as well.

But some people appearantly prefer to come here and live come sort of colonial life, showing the natives how much better we are. And every poor farang, every heroin addicted farang destroys their so carefully built up illusion of superiority.

I don't see Thais half as intolerant and uncompassionate towards those less fortunate farang as some people here on these internet boards. Mostly i see them helping them far more, and not because they are gullible, but because they are simply not as bigoted as some of the upstanding citizen brigade here.

Edited November 17, 2006 by ColPyat

[Jersey_UK]

In Thailand its in Surat Thani

And not as bad a place as it sounds (unless they have 2 of them in Surat Thani ).

Actually met someone I knew. TIT, sometimes you just can't make it up.................

A while ago now though

Edited November 17, 2006 by Jersey_UK

[Douggie Style]

ColPyat, I often read your posts and enjoy your point of view, however have to disagree with your assessment here.

The key points are this guy is a professional scammer who has apparently been living of the same method since 2002, secondly I don't see it as victimless crime, the scale of what he is doing is quite large.

It is in quite a different category to someone down on his luck and needing a few baht.

He needs help, we need to be protected, Maizefarmer has again got some excellent background info, indicating he has a serious substance problem. As Maizefarmer goes on to point out the long term ramifications of his behaviour can be a lot worse than the alternatives of a return home.

Yes ....live and let live....but that applies both ways, the best thing for this gentlemen is to get some help, which pratically means he has to return home.

[tropo]

Tropo Dude, you're getting carried away.

Not so, I'm merely pointing out the fact that most residents/tourists are, or have been "victims" of lies on a regular basis by the very people (bargirls) that they come here to see, and we don't need to focus so strongly on a guy that is merely trying to survive.

It's the same "crime" ie. telling stories in order to obtain cash, but you're really being tough on this particular one. Were you the school yard bully when you were at school? ...or perhaps the tattle teller?

[Soju]

I bet this guy can't wait for February 1 to come around when the departure tax goes up to 700 Baht. That'll be a 40% increase per person scammed.

[tropo]

Yes ....live and let live....but that applies both ways, the best thing for this gentlemen is to get some help, which pratically means he has to return home.

It's become clear now that he doesn't want to go home. I suspect being homeless in the harsh Canadian climate is not on his wish list. What now?