Is this a scam

I tried to post this last night from the Royal Silk Lounge before getting on a flight Europe bound. I was totally unaware that Gadd was causing a scene upstairs and glad I missed that circus. Anyway, it seems that in Royal Silk lounges they can't provide a reasonable internet service and the message below "hung". Most of the machines in the area were out of order except one that had been reconfigured to Katekana.

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Early one evening last week I was returning to my "garden" room at the Siam Bayshore when I was assailed by a lady in her mid-thirties who asked if I spoke French. In Franglais, I understood that she'd been robbed in Cochin (Koh ?) and was due to fly to Belgium that night. She said that her husband was still with the police and that their passports had been taken. She asked if I could lend about B7500 for "the excess".

I advised her to ask the hotel manager to contact the Belgian consulate.

I suspect this is a scam (it was in Pattaya after all) and wonder if others had heard of similar incidents.

In Franglais, I understood that she'd been robbed in Cochin (Koh ?) and was due to fly to Belgium that night. She said that her husband was still with the police and that their passports had been taken. She asked if I could lend about B7500 for "the excess".

The obvious point here is how was she expecting to travel to Belgium that night when her (their) passports had been stolen? I suspect it would take much more than 24 hours to get an emergency travel document.

Almost certainly some form of scam - there have been similar ones reported in the past and if I remember rightly one a couple of months involved a Swiss women who was trying a similar thing in Phuket.

If you go on every french forum about pattaya (Ok you have to read, understand and speak french first ), they warned you about a french girl who always ask money to people who are going home to borrow money, the stories she can tell are always the same, husband with police after loosing passport, or motorbike rent no want to give back, or bag snatch,... and she need money to go to airport or to pay for some help.
Yes I think that is a scam !!!

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

I tried to post this last night from the Royal Silk Lounge before getting on a flight Europe bound. I was totally unaware that Gadd was causing a scene upstairs and glad I missed that circus. Anyway, it seems that in Royal Silk lounges they can't provide a reasonable internet service and the message below "hung". Most of the machines in the area were out of order except one that had been reconfigured to Katekana.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________

Early one evening last week I was returning to my "garden" room at the Siam Bayshore when I was assailed by a lady in her mid-thirties who asked if I spoke French. In Franglais, I understood that she'd been robbed in Cochin (Koh ?) and was due to fly to Belgium that night. She said that her husband was still with the police and that their passports had been taken. She asked if I could lend about B7500 for "the excess".

I advised her to ask the hotel manager to contact the Belgian consulate.

I suspect this is a scam (it was in Pattaya after all) and wonder if others had heard of similar incidents.

The Gadd "scene" sounds far more interesting.

Maybe it's a coincidence but these types of plea (scam) always involve the French.
A couple of years ago I was stopped on Silom by a Frenchman asking to borrow 200 baht so that he could phone home and get money transferred. He had apparently had everything stolen. I declined but two or three weeks later the same guy stopped me again with a very similar story - this time he needed to contact the French embassy. He had obviously forgotten that he'd asked me before and was trying it on again.
Recalling this story to others in Telephone pub one night it transpired that some other people had also been approached by this Frenchie and one had coughed up just to get rid of the guy.
Imagine if this person was asking for 200 Baht from every farang he came across and just 10% gave him some money - in a few hours he could make quite a tidy sum. Same scam in a different area of Bangkok every day of the week and he's got more than enough to live on.

I got caught by the same scam last year a french woman ,beautiful accent same story my friend and I handed over 5000 bht. When we sobered up we realized we'd been had

[Beachlover]

Is obtaining money by deception a crime in Thailand? If so... report her to the police.

I can't believe it... there's not enough Thai scammers so foriegners have to jump on the bandwagon too...

I've heard they use foreigners for the gem scam too.

On second thoughts, "obtaining money by deception" couldn't possibly be a crime in Thailand...

According to today's Bangkok Post, under proposed legislation all beggars will need to apply for a work permit and prove that they are actually "underprivileged, disabled, homeless or elderly without children to care for them". Begging will also be listed as a reserved occupation, ie only Thai citizens will be allowed to be beggars.

http://bangkokpost.com/200808_News/20Aug2008_news04.php

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

According to today's Bangkok Post, under proposed legislation all beggars will need to apply for a work permit and prove that they are actually "underprivileged, disabled, homeless or elderly without children to care for them". Begging will also be listed as a reserved occupation, ie only Thai citizens can will be allowed to be beggars.

http://bangkokpost.com/200808_News/20Aug2008_news04.php

and will their be an administration fee for this ??

[allieb]

[quote="dave_syd":15trnmfp]According to today's Bangkok Post, under proposed legislation all beggars will need to apply for a work permit and prove that they are actually "underprivileged, disabled, homeless or elderly without children to care for them". Begging will also be listed as a reserved occupation, ie only Thai citizens can will be allowed to be beggars.

http://bangkokpost.com/200808_News/20Aug2008_news04.php

and will their be an administration fee for this ??[/quote:15trnmfp]

Only if they change their profession from Beggar to Bugger

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

surely that should be Buggered.

OIT could a beggar be licensed !

Of course it's a bl**dy scam!

Worse still, there's a minority dumb enough to give these people money which encourages them to carry on.

Amazing Thailand #1
Anyway, it seems that in Royal Silk lounges they can't provide a reasonable internet service
Amazing Thailand #2
I suspect this is a scam (it was in Pattaya after all)

Honest people, even in dire straits, do not walk up to complete strangers and ask to "borrow" large sums of money...or even small sums for that matter.