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Cops scamming tourists at Bangkok airport
Tourists face a lot of scams if they travel in Southeast Asia, but one especially nasty and hard-to-avoid one has been reported by the BBC. At Bangkok's main airport, cops are accusing international visitors of shoplifting from the airport stores and then extorting money from them to drop the charges. Sometimes a "friendly translator" will help the desperate travelers, and then charge exorbitant fees for his services. This is a variation of the old "zig-zag" scam that is found in Thailand and other countries.
This reminds me of a shake down a couple of guys tried on me in Karachi, Pakistan. I had just left my hotel and was walking along the street when a car pulled up. The driver produced a card saying "Sindh Police" and the other guy said, "Give me your backpack, I need to search for drugs!"
I immediately had my doubts--the card was in English, their vehicle was unmarked, and neither guy wore a uniform. So I replied to them in a very loud voice "Show me some real identification!" They insisted on seeing my bag but neither got out of the car. Since we were on a busy street I kept telling them in a loud voice that I didn't think they were police and wouldn't give them anything until I saw some ID. As a curious crowd began to gather they got angry and said, "You better not have any drugs!" and drove off.
I ran back to my hotel and told the manager all about it. He just shrugged his shoulders and said "Welcome to Pakistan." I had managed to write down the license plate number but he told me the real cops would probably do nothing, so I let it go and continued with my trip.
My tactic worked against this particular trick, but wouldn't work in the Thailand airport scam since the police really are police. While aware travelers can avoid many of the scams they face on the road, this is a tough one. If the cops are in on it, what can you do except cough up and complain to your embassy later? I guess avoiding the airport shops is the only way to reduce your chances of being robbed.
Have you been scammed while traveling? Tell us your story in the comments section.
Filed under: Asia, Pakistan, Thailand, Transportation, Airports, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Matthew Jul 21st 2009 4:28PM
Then what is the point of travel? Every country has scams, even countries like the US and Canada. So if your afraid of scams why don't you just never leave your home?
richard Jul 21st 2009 4:45PM
No, Matthew, it is just one of many ways of not being scammed. Take a chill pill, man.
Fudgie Jul 23rd 2009 2:48AM
Has anyone ever had to pay to LEAVE Canada? Every time I fly to New Brunswick for my job, when I return home, they charge me $15.00 ca before I can go through security. I think it's a special" Idiot" tax. Because only an Idiot would fly to Monkton in January. Just a theory.
Shakes Peer Jul 23rd 2009 2:50AM
I remember being in Mexico as a young Marine stationed in SanDiego. My buddy and I were in his car and made a turn onto a main road in Tijuana. My buddy was probably the most careful driver , besides my grandmother that you would ever meet. The Mexico Federal Police stopped us and stated that we made the turn without signaling. Good thing I spoke a little spanish cuz this happened on a Friday night and the cop said we could explain it to the judge on Monday morning after spending the weekend in the slammer . Or....we could settle it now for just 150 US dollars. My buddy started to protest but I gave him a nudge , produced my last fifty bucks from my boot to complete the deal and we were on our back to our barracks; broke. We ordered a pizza , drank our cold beers and thanked God we were back home.
Noel Jul 22nd 2009 2:24PM
I have had a similar experience but in Mexico City by a Taxi Driver and Police Officer. the Police Officer pulled my Taxi over for a violation of some sort ... I as the passenger had to pay the fine to the Police Officer. I have no doubt it was a set up between the two. This was on my first day of a weeks trade mission organised by the UK Embassy.
matt Jul 23rd 2009 9:10AM
guess you wernt a diplomat for the un then huh good thing cause you would have gotten off then or are we in the U.S. the only ones to give diplomatic emunety to other countrys
David Pugh Jul 22nd 2009 2:29PM
I was traveling on business and booked a hotel thru expedia.com for six nights. my business was concluded early and I checked out after only 3 nites. The hotel refused to give me a recepit for my stay, making it unable for me to file an expense voucher. Expedia had pre bill med and refused to refund my unused stay. AS I was traveling on government business i could not submit a reservation voucher for 6 nites when it was only 3. I filed a complaint withe BBB, health dept (the hotel was filthy, complete with street walkers), the State Attorney General Office and the FTC as the reservations werre made online. Outcomes are still pending, however we the attorney general office said they had never been stone-walled so much as by expedia.
Brian Jul 22nd 2009 3:29PM
Hey , If it was that bad, you can always call your bank/credit card company and get the charges reversed, you can tell them you did authorize the rest of the stays and you only stay only 3 days. They can reverse the charges since you didn't legally stay those extra nights, you are not out that money. I have done this several times because of issues/ hotels etc. Give it a try.
Lori Jul 23rd 2009 2:45AM
I will never use Expedia again. After a flight time change, never having been notified by Expedia, I complained to them and it was MY fault. Expedia does not admit responsibility in anything. But they gave me vouchers to use later, and whaddya know? When the time came to redeem them, they would not honor them. I hate Expedia!
tracy Jul 23rd 2009 2:45AM
Hi David,
Well here's the deal with Expedia and the other travel sites. If you booked through the Expedia site and did a prepaid reservation for 6 nights you actually paid Expedia not the hotel. In turn Expedia pays the hotel on one of their company cards a rate less than what you paid Expedia - this is why 1. you will not get a receipt from the hotel - it isn't your receipt it is Expedia's receipt (your receipt is technically your credit card statement showing the billing from Expedia and/or the emailed confirmation from Expedia that shows how much your credit card was charged and where you went, how long your stay was booked for, etc.) 2. The hotel cannot issue a refund for unused nights because they are basically dealing with Expedia not you. I don't think you will win this one by submitting a claim to your credit card company because the sites like Expedia specifically state that you cannot cancel or get a refund for unused nights.
If you book your overnight accomodations with the hotel directly then you have more of an opportunity to check out early if your business finishes ahead of schedule and you will be able to get a receipt from the hotel because you dealt directly with them.
Jackie Jul 23rd 2009 2:51AM
The problem isn't the hotel it was expedia, orbitz or whatever site you used...you can't get a refund when you prepay the room through those sites. Also, you don't get a receipt because the expedia pays 70 for the room but charged you 100 and don't want you to know....i worked at a hotel before
really? Jul 23rd 2009 2:52AM
And if you were travelling on official government business, you should have been using the approved travel agent. Had you done that, you would not have had to fight with an on-line agent. And as stated in another response, they put everything out there for you and it's not even in small print! You actually have to check a box stating you read their terms before you can complete the purchase. Bad on you if you didn't. Keep us posted if they do give you a refund. My guess is all the agencies you filed grievence with are laughing with the rest of us.
nilpojsinaj@netscape.net Jul 22nd 2009 2:34PM
Here is a good true one. I got off the train in Rome, Italy, when I saw about 8 kids starting to run to me. I had my backpack (large) on, with hiking boots. I said out loud, in Italian, "Fermarsi! (stop!). A small kid, I assumed was the leader, stopped, and asked me why? I said, "Ladro! (thief)," as I gave him the international signal of pickpocketing, hand outstretched, as in a hand shake, then pulling it in with a twist. The kid smiled, laughed, gave me the Italian salute (arm going up, with left arm interceding), yelled to his friends, "Correre! (run!)." They were going to surround me, and stick their hands everywhere, knock me down, and run with what they could find. With a big backpack, hard to get up and give chase, unless you unbuckle, and then someone gets your pack. I just shook my head. I reported this to a police officer, who simply said, "Welcome to Rome," in Italian, with a smile.
Equity25 Jul 22nd 2009 5:05PM
I too had always heard about the child pickpockets in Rome. After several times there, dulely warned, I got on a local bus and was forced to go through a bunch of well dressed men at the door to get off. By the time I got through the door and the buss pulled off I was relieved of my walet and credit cards of which $3,000.00 + were charged that night. Lesson learned: Don't be so intent on the kids when it is the adults that may be robbing you blind. Jack
Adizzle Jul 23rd 2009 2:45AM
I was student studying abroad in Italy when I took a trip to Rome for the weekend. I knew the warnings of pick pocketers, and so I always held onto my purse in front of me wherever I went. My boyfriend (now husband) who was visiting me, and I had spent like an hour trying to find the Colluseum and after walking so much and not finding it somehow we were tired and mad and on a train back to our hostil. I wasn't holding on to my purse but I felt something next to me and the guy next to me was trying to reach into my purse. He was dressed like he was a tourist even though he looked Italian, complete with a "Rome" baseball cap. I just looked at him and said "what the hell?" and then he just started saying "crazy". I hadn't accused him of anything so he obviously had attempted to rob me by his reaction. I was lucky that time. My roommate's father who decided to wear a belly bag on the a train in Rome was not.
nilpojsinaj Jul 23rd 2009 2:09PM
I'll add one more, about 1981. On a train to Amsterdam, I was with my military buddy, traveling Europe together. There was a guy sitting next to us who was worried about losing his wallet to pickpockets. I had a front wallet strapped under my shirt, next to my t-shirt. Before getting off the train at Amsterdam, I kid you not, we were warned on a P. A. system to watch out for pickpockets as we exited the train, in like over 6+ languages! Well, we stepped off the train, and within minutes that guy yelled out to us, "hey! my wallet is missing!." I checked myself, and mine was okay. We felt sorry for the guy. If asked, I have the biggest one yet, that made the news on television, about Italy.
nilpojsinaj@netscape.net Jul 22nd 2009 2:33PM
Here is a good true one. I got off the train in Rome, Italy, when I saw about 8 kids starting to run to me. I had my backpack (large) on, with hiking boots. I said out loud, in Italian, "Fermarsi! (stop!). A small kid, I assumed was the leader, stopped, and asked me why? I said, "Ladro! (thief)," as I gave him the international signal of pickpocketing, hand outstretched, as in a hand shake, then pulling it in with a twist. The kid smiled, laughed, gave me the Italian salute (arm going up, with left arm interceding), yelled to his friends, "Correre! (run!)." They were going to surround me, and stick their hands everywhere, knock me down, and run with what they could find. With a big backpack, hard to get up and give chase, unless you unbuckle, and then someone gets your pack. I just shook my head. I reported this to a police officer, who simply said, "Welcome to Rome," in Italian, with a smile.
John Jul 22nd 2009 4:52PM
I once lived in Tehran, Iran working for Bell Helicopter. I rented a modest but not house from a local, wealthy textile factory owner. When I was transferred to Isfahan my Tehrani landlord discarded his normal, impeccable, tailored 3 piece piece suits and followed me to Isfahan wearing tattered rags and a dirty t-shirt, claiming to the police (and consequently a court) that I had totally trashed his house in Tehran. He even told them he had moved his family out of it so that I could stay there and that he charged me no rent. Despite rent receipts and witnesses, I lost and had to pay the man more than $18,0000.00
Jerome Crosson Jul 22nd 2009 4:35PM
The US government should get active in exposing these foreign based scams.
In this one, police steal from tourists; others are the fraudulent thousand dollar phone bills; the bogus checks (deposit in your account, send part of it back with your own good check). Our government could cut off aid programs to the countries which harbor these scams; even sever diplomatic relations. Why should the American prople honor or support these countries ? WE SHOULD'NT
bob Jul 22nd 2009 2:54PM
While in Tulum Mexico I was stopped by the police in my rental car for "speeding". An officer got in the back seat to accompany me to the police station to find out my "fine" amount. After a few hundred feet he said that I could pay the fine now and avoid the police station. I asked how much and he smiled and shrugged and said he did not know. I would have to go to the station to find out. We did this 2 more times before he had me turn off the main street. I then offered him 100 pesos. There were three other police in the police van and he agreed when I got to 400 pesos, 100 each. He then wished me well and I was on my way. I reported it to my hotel. They shrugged and smiled and apologized. Just another travel experience.