Crooks and Liars: Farang Conmen in Paradise

[catawampuscat]

One of my favorites topics Rainwalker.

The fleeced are usually embarrassed by their foolish trusting of the conman and prefer often to forget about
it and move on. The conman counts on this reaction and also that the foreigner will not go to the police or
the con-man's embassy to report the crime..

It is a painful memory and one that the fleeced push out of their minds if possible. I am doing a bit of assuming
and guessing here but I think it is probably true for most of us..

I was once offered a chance to get into a start up Internet website and was given 24 hours to make up mind and have
the money ready for the farang. This was a couple of years ago and I wisely turned down the offer, as there was no
contract, no lawyers, no written agreements, no paperwork whatsoever and it would based be on a handshake and trust.
Well, I would have been out more than 20 grand US ($20,000.) and in bed with a backstabbing rat,
who turned on me after I declined his very generous offer to get in on the first floor of this money pit. Not getting in bed with him
was my wisest decision since living in Thailand..
Be very aware when your farang friend wants your money..very aware !! :cat:

Dear Cat,

You mean people like this really exist?

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

..or I would be forced to divulge the name of 2 airlines and a major hotel chain servicing Thailand which have repeatedly broken their promises of what was offered- after I had paid up-front.

Of course in those cases it's just a "terrible computer error" or some similar excuse. I regard it as being bilked. Sadly, they fail to realize they have a relentless and unforgiving moaner on their hands who never gives an inch until an upgrade is usually given to get this tiresome beast out of a manager's office.

As for petty "con" jobs-they are too numerous to record-1000 or 5000 baht here and there. And many times I know it's happening but think if they need to go to those lengths-they really must need the dough.

It's the well thought out continuing scams that do need exposing..one being the "under-age" scam that has snared 2 of my acquaintances in the Sunnee Plaza area. The lad who appears to be over 18 and offers a treat-and then a "policeman" ( who could even be real) comes to the door and the lad is revealed to be 17 and 4 months etc. The going rate is 200,000 baht for all this mess to go away. And it's quite common if gossip is to be believed.

Sorry didn't read the question properly.

[Marsilius]

Rainwalker99's original post asked for stories about FARANG con-men, not Thais.

We are all (though mainly in theory, I hope) familiar with the latter. But it would be even more fascinating to hear stories of the former - to provide confirmation of, or to disprove, the frequently-expressed view that Thailand is a popular haven for the inadequate/detritus/maladjusted of the rest of the world...

[RichLB]

I'm sure it's the rare man who has not been cheated or made errors of trust. What is more shocking to me is the changing value system. Beck in the dark ages when I was an educator I rarely had occasion to deal with cheaters (yeah, i know, sutdents cheated - but not all that many). Students who cheated were held in disregard and usually angered their fellow students.

I recently saw a poll on one of the news channels that reported on current reactions to cheating. Almost universally students who participated in the study reported that they thought it was stupid not to cheat if there was an opportunity to do so. "Getting away with it" was a badge of honor!! It seems values on honesty have shifted.

Given that, I assume we will all encounter more and more acts of dishonesty. It seems there's a large segment of the population who thnks doing so is the right thing to do.

[PeterUK]

I recently met a farang who initially aroused my suspicion when he introduced himself as 'Edith'. He was such a plump, personable chap, in every way normal but for the red wig, floral frock and knee-high leather boots, that I soon felt reassured and purchased from him, at some expense, a large tub of ointment which he promised me would both restore hair loss and increase the size of my member. How could I resist? Having followed his instructions most diligently for a month, I have witnessed dramatic results. I now have a fur-lined knob and strangely elongated head. I am not best pleased. Does this qualify as a con, or some lesser form of misdirection?

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

"Beck in the dark ages when I was an educator I rarely had occasion to deal with cheaters (yeah, i know, sutdents cheated - but not all that many"...ehhh?

Of course in those cases it's just a "terrible computer error" or some similar excuse.
When that excuse is trotted out I usually point out that computers don't, for the most part, make errors - it is the incompetant fools (in their organisation) who have input incorrect information who are to blame.

That usually sets them back on their heels and the deathly silence (and embarrassed look, if confronting them face to face) whilst they try to think up some alternate excuse is a pleasure to behold. :happy11:

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

farang conmen !!

well no doubt the place is teeming with them but I've only met a number of dubious characters (farang) who seem to be reluctant to return to their homelands. None has really tried to con me in the real sense. But we do read in almost every edition of those Fleet Street style tabloids now available in Pattaya of all manner of petty crime committed by farangs.

(PeterUk-that couldn't be our Edith-she's certainly plump, has hennaed hair , wears hideous frocks and would have the gall to outfit herself in knee high boots..but personable ?..no way.)

"Rainwalker99":He went on to talk about some of his farang customers who had lied, cheated, and refused to pay him what monies they rightfully owed.


Rainwalker,

as was pointed out elsewhere, there are two sides to every story. If this is the same "air conditioning showroom" that I used, prominently sited on Sukhumvit Road, East side, then I am not at all surprised that some of his customers refused to pay him some or all of what he considered they "rightfully" owed. Their work for me was so bad that I had to make temporary repairs myself before getting a local a/c fitter (who, unfortunately had been away for a month when I needed it fitted) to repair the disaster they had left. Hopefully you will be more lucky.

Dodger's (and others') views on Thai bar boys were stated very clearly elsewhere (They are all liars, etc, etc), as was my disagreement with his view based on my own personal experience. With a very few exceptions (such as Mick from Le Cafe on the one hand and my ex-LDR/LTR boyfriend on the other!) I would trust a Thai bar boy over their Farang client any day of the week - or, if I did not trust them, at least I would have a pretty good idea of where I stood. While the bar boys may lie about actually finding the client attractive and, in most cases if they are able to, run as man LDRs as they can, it is the clients who promise "gold shop / motorbike shop tomorrow ..." when their flight home is tonight!

As far as local scams are concerned, you need look no further than 90% of the property development / sales "experts" here - hard to believe, but there is, literally, not a single registered chartered surveyor (FRICS or equivalent) in Pattaya. As for the insurance agents / salesmen, the only one who many thought to be "legit" has recently shown his true colours; those who have been here a while may not have shed too many tears at the late S**n F**'s passing, but at least you knew that when he sold you insurance he had taken the trouble to type the policy himself!

Rainwalker 99,

I forgot to mention that I have sent you a PM about air conditioners; hope yours works out.

... everywhere. Taxi drivers are the most commonly encountered. One in Indianapolis insisted that American Express charged him an 11% fee for the use of their card. One in Sydney recently spent the entire trip discussing the size of my proposed tip - it was zero, as he found out at the end

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

the last time I arrived in Sydney and caught a taxi on a Sunday morning.

I thought the city had been evacuated..although I soon realized it was because of the lack of blaring car horns.

But the driver moaned from go to whoa about having had no fares...wife and kiddies to feed..no-one ever tips..etc etc.

I gave him a large tip-but that's the difference between me and you I guess ! ( apart from me being more handsome)

[catawampuscat]

Many of us don't review our bins and just pay them, especially if it is a group and several members have left
their baht and moved on. It is an opportunity for shifty characters to accidentally put their bin in another's bin.

Having shared a table with Rainwalker more than once, I have noticed Rainwalker does look over the bin and
once he questioned it and a certain character sitting nearby somehow had his bin added in. It looked innocent
to this observer but now I wonder if this character has a history of accidents..

On occasion, someone will forget to pay his bin and just get up and leave. While this can happen, I would have
to guess that at some of these forgetful incidents are slick moves by small time con men but in the end it is usually
small money involved.
It is a game for certain farangs to never pay their bins and some have been known to pocket the bins or play the
"I gave you a 1000B. note game" in a busy bar.. A variation of this con game is to make a lot of noise about the
1000B. note and when the change is returned in a folder/wallet, the con man leaves it on the table without retrieving
his change. At some point, he manages to remove the 500B. note from the rest of the change and then open the
bin folder publicly and pronounce he gave a 1000B. note and only received change from a 500B. note..

The point of all this is to watch your bins and check your change and be very careful of your new friends, especially if they
are fond of telling you how much money they have and how much property they own and somehow they just keep forgetting
to bring their wallets with them or how their money is tied up in some big deal or other and so on and so on...

Their favorite target are newbies, sitting alone. If you are asked financial questions, plead poverty and destitution and watch the con men
scramble to their feet and race away.. Watch out for men who spill out deeply personal stories and if they involve money, get up and get away while
you can. Watch out for men who throw money at the boys and act as if they have no interest or concerns about money... They are laying down
a trap for you.. any excuse involving money is the signature of the con man and their sincerity is on par with the bar girls telling every troll he is
a sexy man or any bar boy that thinks you are twenty years younger when you know you look like shit for your age... :cat:

Guys,

I am absolutely shocked by what I have read on this thread.

I'm going home, this place sounds frightening!

Don't forget the lost wallet, Where's the nearest Western Union [ before we had one!] ," My visa card won't work on this stupid machine", I am going to Bangkok for a couple of days, please keep my room for me and I'll pay when I get back, and then last seen departing in cattle class at the airport.

Can you lend me 10,000 baht,[ I am not like these wankers and will pay you as soon as I get back to the UK!] I am just a bit short until I have sold my condo, [ which you then find out they rent!]

"Are you sure I didn't pay my hotel bill when I arrived?", No way have I drunk that amount, Are you really that age?, I thought you were a lot younger, you certainly don't look that old[ when the bill comes!], I'll get these ones!! [ Happy Hour in Panorama], "I always pay the boys 3,000 baht a night" [ not according to the boys!]..........and on......sounds familiar!

[thaiworthy-old]

This is shocking.

I guess there is more to Pattaya than I was aware of. I rarely check bins but I will start now. I am not real chatty with other farangs in dark bars. Why would they talk to me with all these lovely young boys around? If something doesn't seem right, I would think it should stand out or maybe I've been lucky to avoid it all. These are despicable acts; I would certainly love to be more educated and learn how to defend myself if I was confronted with something like this.

I have some experience avoiding similar problems with pretty Thai boys, but none where other farangs are concerned.

My wonderful grandmother, long since parted, had a wonderful way in dealing with solicitors. She greeted everyone courteously at the door but always ended with "I'm just a poor, old widow woman. All I got is my Social Security." She milked that phrase day in and day out.

It worked every time and I've never forgotten it. Sometimes poor old widow women have a lot of common sense.

[Aunty]

The point of all this is to watch your bins and check your change and be very careful of your new friends, especially if they
are fond of telling you how much money they have and how much property they own and somehow they just keep forgetting
to bring their wallets with them or how their money is tied up in some big deal or other and so on and so on...

Their favorite target are newbies, sitting alone. If you are asked financial questions, plead poverty and destitution and watch the con men
scramble to their feet and race away.. Watch out for men who spill out deeply personal stories and if they involve money, get up and get away while
you can. Watch out for men who throw money at the boys and act as if they have no interest or concerns about money... They are laying down
a trap for you.. any excuse involving money is the signature of the con man and their sincerity is on par with the bar girls telling every troll he is
a sexy man or any bar boy that thinks you are twenty years younger when you know you look like shit for your age... :cat:

Oh Christ. They just sound like such decrepit old bores. And I bet they look like it too. Just as an aside. If you are on good terms with the boys in brown, surely one can administer a vigorous right cross to the fatty chops and snouts of these puffed up old bums, and get away with it? I know I would like to bury my fist in their hard old dials.

[catawampuscat]

We, ex-pats, homo tourists, explorers come to Thailand from relatively honest lives working lives and supporting
ourselves.

There are those farangs who made their livelihoods from confidence games, prostitution and later pimping,
loan sharking and other endeavours, which were not taxed and in their dotage these flim flam men won't even
receive government pensions for the elderly like social security for the Americans...

Not long ago, an American approached me and a friend while we were chatting and burst into our little group..
He said things like he could hear we spoke English (of course) and proceeded without any
encouragement to tell us the sad story of his problems with his purchase of a condo and how his money was
all tied up and on and on.. He finally took a breath and asked us what he should do..

Well, I told him and in 30 seconds he scurried away with his head down and looking for his next victim. My friend
agreed with my assessment of this con game and said he thought the same but would have been too polite to express
it the way I did.
I am not shy and have found con-men and bullies and bores, all, are cowardly creatures who depend on the
politeness and kindness of strangers but if you open your mouth and tell them to fuck off, it works every time..

Once exposed as scumbags the windbags deflate and drift away to look for easier prey... Remember it is not being polite, it is being weak...
it is not being kind, it is being foolish and believe me these con-men are laughing all the way to their next hit... :cat:

[Brad the Impala]

I wondered when this "british guy in his sixties" and "regular poster" would appear in this thread. It might almost have been started for that express purpose.

[catawampuscat]

If you want to contribute to the cremation expenses, I understand a farang is still up in Nong Khai collecting baht and he has
finally found nirvana.. Well, Sunee is paradise with one less con man working the beer bars for new suckers.

I have to agree with Brad and would have authored it myself, except I have already done that and done that and done that..
My con men were an American and one bar fly, whose nationality I don't know or want to know but not the usual suspect..
but the Nong Khai one just might be.. :cat:

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

questioning the bin must be done most delicately.
The last time I did -in a clip joint in Walking Street, the very kind owners offered to assist me down the stairs- head first.

thankyou for this Thaiworthy- "I'm just a poor, old widow woman. All I got is my Social Security." ..I have several lawyers pestering me at present over some nonsense about unpaid invoices..I think in my present state I can get away with this excuse.

[TrongpaiExpat]

There is one waiter at X-Size, soi twilight, I don't know his name, a little on the portly/husky side that routinely adds a check to the bin for 200B and if you question it he says casually he just added his tip.

I didn't knowingly encounter any such scams on a recent trip -the impression was most bars in BKK & Pattaya charged quite fairly.

As for customers not paying, it's lamentable that a small dishonest minority may spoil things for the rest of us.

And all of these stories emanate from Pattaya - no surprises there

... Remember it is not being polite, it is being weak...
it is not being kind, it is being foolish and believe me these con-men are laughing all the way to their next hit... :cat:

Well, I'm with the Cat on this one. Its amazing, once he coughs up a furball he really starts to make sense. :tongue:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=MXNKSa0WZsg

Even worse; what about the owners of establishments who take on partners getting them to foolishly make wills leaving their shares to Thai boy friends of the existing owners........ :cheers:

[Marsilius]

What an outlandish scenario!

I cannot believe that anyone would be so dumb as to fall for something like that - unless, of course, the Thai ambiance makes the victim succeptable to that sort of thing...

[thaiworthy-old]

I would need a quill pen to agree to something like that!