Who Has had Gold or Valuables Stolen While Out & About?

[Neal]

Well we have all heard stories as well as been the victims but how about telling your story about how your gold or valuables were snatched while riding or walking around. Stories of getting ripped off by leaving money in your room is also acceptable on this thread.

I think the funniest story I have ever heard was a dear friend of mine once told me that he loved having this one boy over to his apartment but the problem was that whenever he came over he stole money from him. He devised a plot wherein the boy knew exactly where he hid his money. So he changed locations of where he hid his money and only kept a reasonable amount in his old hiding place.
When I looked at him questioningly he explained, Well I leave a certain amount for him to steal so he doesn't go looking for the big stash. He thinks he's got it and he's happy. :dontknow: :dontknow: :dontknow:

[easyride]

Well we have all heard stories as well as been the victims but how about telling your story about how your gold or valuables were snatched while riding or walking around. Stories of getting ripped off by leaving money in your room is also acceptable on this thread.


I was waiting halfway across tenpercent road trying to cross when a motorbike suddenly veered from the traffic turning into Sukhumvik Road and snatched my 1 baht chain from my neck. That delightful Thai learnt some good English swear words as he roared off. You can guess the reaction of the BiB at the police box. They sent me to Dongtan police station where they took my report and doubled the weight of the chain. Pity I had no insurance.

[RichLB]

This is not my personal experience, but I was told a story of a clever customer of an escort service. This did not happen in Thailand, but in a locale with higher priced escorts. The guy purchased a couple fake Rolex watches, one of which he left in plain sight on the nightstand. After the deed was done, he would go take a shower and the guy would disappear with the Rolex - thinking he had succeeded in pocketing a big time score. The customer, of course, saved the cost of the escort and the guy was left with a near worthless watch.

[Patexpat]

In all my time here I have not had any gold or similar snatched by thugs on motor bikes BUT I do have THREE Thai friends who have suffered this crime, two on Pattaya Tai and the other near Soi Bukhao ....

[anonone]

On one of my first trips, I had some money come up missing. Not a bunch, but was pretty certain I had it in the room safe and it was later gone.

I was in full party mode then, so it was possible that I misplaced it or left it out or something else foolish.....I am now much more responsible.... :tongue3: :sign5:

Never had anything stolen off my person, but I do not wear any jewelery....no pickpocket problems either.

Likewise not so much getting but more my own stupidity - when I was young(er) and foolish and going to DJ for one of the first times I heard stories of pick pockets being "everywhere" in the place, so thinking ahead before I went in I stuck some money (maybe 500 baht or so) down my sock, of course a while later when I get to get it with all the dancing and generally pushing of everyone that goes on in DJ it was gone ! So, the next night - and me thinking I'd be more clever this time I actually put another 5000 baht right down inside my shoe - and of course you know what happened again :-( - same thing !! lol

I should add that I would NEVER be the sort of person to stash money like this going anywhere and was doing it as I'd heard of the "terrible" reputation that DJ had for pick pocketing of farangs, I now go with my money in my wallet, stuck in my pocket as normal and have never had a problem ( touch wood) and I now work in the principal that even if I am pick pocketed some night it'll still be cheaper that losing 5000 baht a night if I was sticking it down my sock or shoe !!! lol

[joe552]

NIrish Guy - it would be safer to stick your cash in your undies - nobody gets to go there :occasion9:

[bruce_nyc]

This is not my personal experience, but I was told a story of a clever customer of an escort service. This did not happen in Thailand, but in a locale with higher priced escorts. The guy purchased a couple fake Rolex watches, one of which he left in plain sight on the nightstand. After the deed was done, he would go take a shower and the guy would disappear with the Rolex - thinking he had succeeded in pocketing a big time score. The customer, of course, saved the cost of the escort and the guy was left with a near worthless watch.

I must say.... That is ingenious. Talk about a win-win strategy. If he's honest, everyone's happy. If he's not... well, you got a big discount. Those fake El Rolexo's can be had on Canal St for less than $30. :gy:

It seems like that would work exceptionally well in countries known to be full of thieves..... like Brazil or Mexico or Russia. You could just bring a half dozen of them with you.

Of course, with my luck, no one would steal them. ha ha


...was pretty certain I had it in the room safe and it was later gone.

Are the gay hotel in-room safes...... "safe"? :8(

[anonone]

...was pretty certain I had it in the room safe and it was later gone.

Are the gay hotel in-room safes...... "safe"? :8(

They are as "safe" as a safe in any hotel room. No hotel safe should be viewed as real protection for truly valuable items. I would not keep significant cash, valuable jewelry, etc. in these safes while I was not in the room. They are great for stashing wallet, etc when you bring a friend back for some fun....

As you probably know, hotel staff has access to open them when needed. There is ALWAYS a master code, key, or some manner to allow entry into the safe. It is a step better than leaving things out in the open....

Overall, Thailand is quite safe for both persons and property...but always makes sense to stay vigilant.

[bruce_nyc]

What would you do with truly valuable items or cash? Is it better to leave them with the front desk? Do they have a more secure safe? Or is it likely to be no "safer" than the normal in-room safe....?

NIrish Guy - it would be safer to stick your cash in your undies - nobody gets to go there :occasion9:


Joe oh Joe - you "obviously" don't know me THAT well as if I were to do that I'd be broke within the week as it seems when I'm in Thailand EVERYONE gets to go there - almost whether I want them to or not ( but yes don't worry I usually want them to so it's never a problem !! :-)

[bruce_nyc]

NIrish, Did it ever occur to you that they only go there because they're looking for cash....? :ink:

I sir unlike some on here am under NO illusion as to that fact and if it means my having a good time I would quite happily fill my pants with large quantities of Baht on a hourly basis if necessary and let them do their worst :-)

[ceejay]

Don't take truly valuable items with you is the best answer to that.
As far as cash goes, I don't have a lot at one time. I think it's worth the cost of using ATM's to take out 10,000 baht at a time so that you never have too much on you.
When I travel in the Isaan, where few hotels have any safes at all, I'll carry most of my money, along with my passport, in a money belt, with just enough cash for the day in my wallet. The money belt also came in for a lot of use in Laos, where I was carrying more in US dollars than I ordinarily would and where, again, few hotels have safes.
Take two cards, and keep them separately so that if one goes, you still have the other to live on.
I have the cards insured against unauthorised use. If one or more goes missing, I only need call the insurer, and they take all necessary steps to cancel them. As a bonus, that insurance also covers replacing a passport if needed. I have their phone number I send in an email to myself, so it's always available, even if the notebook where I keep these numbers is gone too.
Makes it sound as if I am very anally retentive, and spend my time worrying about these things, doesn't it? Actually (I hope) not. The secret is to do all you can to stop theft happening, or mitigate the consequences if it does, then forget about it and get on with your holiday.
The only time I have been robbed I have no idea where it was - I did a lot of travelling around that trip and it could have been any one of ten places visited over three weeks (most of which did not have safes). It wasn't until I was preparing for the flight home that I realised that ┬г60 out of the ┬г80 I had for a taxi home from Heathrow had gone. The dollars and baht I had with me were untouched - I would have noticed that before. That does rather suggest to me that it was a "professional" thief on the staff of one of the hotels somewhere, taking the one currency I wasn't going to use and so wouldn't miss until I was long gone and in no position to make a fuss. Other than that, I have never had any problems. In fact, many Thais are scrupulously honest about even very small amounts of money. I remember once being pursued by a middle aged lady through the riverside market in Nong Khai. I wondered what I had done. What had happened was that a few coins - 4 or 5 baht - had fallen through a hole in my pocket and she wanted to give them back to me.

[fountainhall]

http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/02/joshua-be ... -burglary/ (http://www.tmz.com/2012/03/02/joshua-bell-violinist-watch-thief-burglary/)

[bruce_nyc]

Great advice, guys. Thanks.

I'll leave the Stradivarius at home... :nud: and rely on ATMs more...

Well you would have thought that it should have been glaring obvious to all that the guy who stole the Stradivarius was obviously on the fiddle !!! lol

[Sooty]

I've met a couple of guys with live-in boyfriends while I've been in Bangkok and there's no need to go out and about in order to have valuables stolen. These two guys each has a "boyfriend" who is a serial offender in that regard. These guys must have some sense of guilt they're indulging to let anyone treat them like that over and over and over. One even does all the washing, ironing, cleaning and cooking while his "boyfriend" swans about, has his friends over to play cards and get drunk, and puts his hand out all the time for money so he can go gambling. The other's boyfriend steals things from around the home to sell so he can support his drug habit.

[thenorthguy]

They say a fool and his money are soon parted....there are certainly a lot of fools here judging by their post........

[Beachlover]

Don't take truly valuable items with you is the best answer to that.
I don't know... doing without doesn't seem necessary to me. I travel a laptop, a few mobile phones, portable hard drives, camera and various other valuables. Plus, if I'm abroad, I usually carry a few grand in my suitcase to avoid using ATMs. With all that, I've never had a single valuable stolen or lost. Not even a phone or wallet.

I'm sure part of it is luck but I'm also pretty meticulous about securing my valuables, always stay in a room with a good safe and avoid questionable types of people as best as I can.

Having deeper pockets also helps - literally. If I buy a pair of pants and the pockets are a bit shallow, I get a tailor to make them a couple of centimetres deeper so my phone, wallet and other stuff sits a bit deeper in them.

[ButtLover]

Two suggestions I have found really help to keep your money safe when you are out and about, and to keep it safer when left in the hotel safe.

(1) I put my wallet and major cash in my front pocket, and using a large safty pin (diaper pin), I pin the inside of the pocket walls. It is easy to do, and easy to undo, but you will definitely feel any little hand trying to sneek into your pocket while dancing or in a subway or bus, and you simply grab their arm. I have stopped three little pickpockets this way. Their hand goes into the pocket a few inches and stops. I feel it, then grab their arm.

(2) Hotel safes are not very safe for lots of reasons. Since I travel a lot for work, I bought the "Milockie Hotel Safe Lock", which is a unique device you can use to double lock the hotel safes. Just Google it, or you can look at their site for travel safety items. It is not cheap, but replacing your money and your passport is a lot more expensive!

http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/ca ... -c-35.html (http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/catalog/hotel-safety-c-35.html)

Hope this helps.

[Impulse]

Placing a rubber band around your wallet keeps it from sliding out without alerting you.

[ButtLover]

OOOOPPPPPPsssss.. Forgot to say WHY I bought the Milckie Safe Lock ---- Hotels will usually NOT pay you for lost objects or cash UNLESS you can PROVE the safe was entered. ALSO, if you have homeowners or traveler's insurance that covers loss in a hotel, they want PROOF of tampering. This lock give you the necessary leg to stand on better.