Foiled a pickpocket attempt on Jomtien baht bus

[NoshowJones]

21 minutes ago, Mansell said:

Some of them know this ploy, so they carry a very sharp cut throat razor and slice the pocket to remove contents. This is quite common in the Black Market in UlaanBaator in Mongolia. A doctor friend was robbed this way, but they also sliced his leg open......obviously an amateur.

There is no way you can be 100% sure you cannot get pickpocketed, you just have to use some common sense

and watch what you are doing. But the fish hooks in an old wallet will guarantee a very sore finger.

[Jingthing]

Glad people are talking about this ... AGAIN.

Yes, I was hit once years ago and since them I am very aware of their various games.

Just LAST NIGHT, this happened.

A group of three homely middle aged "ladies" two with ridiculously large handbags (a huge clue) were waiting with me with others at a time and location where the trucks were going to be busy.

 

When the cattle car of temporal happiness arrived they were unusually aggressive in selecting seating locations ... even giving verbal directions to each other.

 

As it was a full bus the only possible seat for me (I won't stand in back) was next to one of them. The moment I sat down I placed my hand boldly and without any stealth right over my pocket (side with keys and change purse, wallet was opposite). I could tell the "lady" was very ANNOYED when she saw that as I was probably already a selected mark. This crew of unsavories looked around, everyone was totally SOBER, and they correctly judged this ride was a DUD and they all just got off the land boat a few short blocks later.  All three of them. None of them paid. The driver did nothing. Just drove off.

 

I looked around at the other passengers and smiled to see if others realized what had just happened. They didn't seem to realize it. Tourists I guess.

 

What's up with the DRIVERS that play along with this?

Edited August 29, 2016 by Jingthing

[KenKadz]

Here is a novel idea, plain clothes cops riding the baht buses might be a deterrent.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, KenKadz said:

Here is a novel idea, plain clothes cops riding the baht buses might be a deterrent.

!!!!!!!! Do you know how many baht buses there are and how many cops there are in Pattaya? A non starter unless you want to pay hundreds of extra cops to ride around all day and night.

Might work if they got rid of all the baht buses and had a proper bus service.

[DerringDo]

Perhaps the BiB could work on a commission basis ?

[luudee]

 

I've been thinking about rigging one of my short pockets with razor blades or such ...

 

And then ride the baht bus all day long ...

 

 

[lanng khao]

Iv cut the lining out of my pocket, so if you see somebody going cross eyed on a baht buss with a lady boy next to him with a big bag,then you know I'm getting fleeced..

[RachaRob]

Even with zippered pockets I had a ladyboy try so I now break off the actual little zip handle.

It makes it harder for me to open and hopefuly for them!

[Monkeyrobot]

Leave a fake wallet in the pocket with news paper for money. Keep the real cash in a secret pocket. 

[Thunderbirds20]

What gets me is other Thais will say nothing even if they see this kind of thing. I have been pick pocketed, robbed at gun and knife point, had gold snatched from my neck by passing motorcycles, had things stolen out of my room, been over charged and short changed.

 

So tired of the Thai attitude towards Farang. They think we are all a bottomless pit of money and loss will not affect us!

[ThaiByNight]

Cargo shorts with button pockets. 

Very hard to unbutton with one hand, especially if it's a two button pocket. 

[Phatbeets]

Living in pattaya sounds like living the dream

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, Thunderbirds20 said:

What gets me is other Thais will say nothing even if they see this kind of thing. I have been pick pocketed, robbed at gun and knife point, had gold snatched from my neck by passing motorcycles, had things stolen out of my room, been over charged and short changed.

 

So tired of the Thai attitude towards Farang. They think we are all a bottomless pit of money and loss will not affect us!

Been robbed at gunpoint in Pattaya???????

How unlucky are you? I've never heard of a farang being robbed at gunpoint- pickpocketed yes, but mugging is rare. I was more stressed in London than ever in LOS.

BTW, I though everyone knew not to wear gold necklaces in poor countries.

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, Phatbeets said:

Living in pattaya sounds like living the dream

It is, unless one displays the wealth and goes off with dubious "friends". I never had a problem in all the years I stayed there, but like everyone been in LOS more than a week I've had my share of scams.

[onemorechang]

21 hours ago, Thunderbirds20 said:

What gets me is other Thais will say nothing even if they see this kind of thing. I have been pick pocketed, robbed at gun and knife point, had gold snatched from my neck by passing motorcycles, had things stolen out of my room, been over charged and short changed.

 

So tired of the Thai attitude towards Farang. They think we are all a bottomless pit of money and loss will not affect us!

 

If that was all in pattaya,    think you may need to rethink how you

go about your daily life,    as you must be doing something wrong 

 

 

[swissie]

Think of all the country-folks flocking to Pattaya every day, hoping to make good money. Hard to do in a place where everything is in "oversupply", including the labor force.

Go back to the rice field? There is a problem with that. Once having experienced Pattaya, few are willing to cope with the boredom of country living anymore.

So, most of them stay, although their income situation is still the same.

At this point, an increasing number of them will consider "alternative income producing activities ". Will get worse, before it get's better.

Cheers.

[swissie]

Razor blades, fishhooks ? Scary! Better way to go:

Get a folding wallet and put a comb in the fold (with teeth up). Not possible to get the wallet out in a sitting position. One has to stand up and it still takes some acrobatics to get the wallet out.

Drawback: While standing upright, trying to extract the wallet from pocket, Bar Lady (waiting for money), might get the impression, Farang is fumbling around between his legs, she not knowing that he is merely trying to get his wallet out and nothing else.  Cheers.