Does this ring true?

[Brad the Impala]

It's hard to believe that people are so stupid. Why did they have all their holiday spend in cash, and if they had come on holiday, why didn't they have return tickets?



Phuket Gazette




Monday, November 16, 2009

Phuket bike bandit leaves Brits broke

PHUKET: Two tourists robbed in Kata were left penniless when a thief snatched a bag containing all their remaining holiday cash from the basket on their rented motorbike last week.

The thief, riding another motorbike, snatched the bag on Kata Noi Road early Monday evening.

The bag belonging to British holidaymaker 21-year-old Emma Kim Parker, a passenger on the bike driven by a male traveling companion, contained the equivalent of about 230,000 baht in US dollars and euro.

An expensive Nikon camera was also in the bag.

Police believe the lone basket bandit took advantage of the fact that the tourists would not be able to give chase with two of them weighing down their bike.

The pair had planned to stay in Thailand for several weeks, but with no spending money left after arriving less than a week before the theft, they told the Gazette they were so traumatized that they wanted to go home as soon as possible.

тАЬThis is our first time in Thailand and we donтАЩt know what to do now. WeтАЩve never had this kind of experience and didnтАЩt expect our stuff could be stolen off a [moving] motorbike,тАЭ they said.

While waiting for money to be sent from abroad so they could buy flights home, the young travelers had to rely on charity from the owner of the Pineapple Guesthouse where they were staying.

тАЬThere is a safe deposit box in their room, but they didnтАЩt keep their money in there. I donтАЩt know why,тАЭ said the owner.

According to the police, the bandit had already targeted a young Swedish couple who were riding a motorcycle in the same area an hour earlier that evening, making off with a camera and 3,000 baht in cash. Phuket Gazette

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It's hard to believe that people are so stupid. Why did they have all their holiday spend in cash, and if they had come on holiday, why didn't they have return tickets?

Who says crime doesn't pay? Wow. Walking around with 230k baht in cash.

My only thought is that they were on a multi-country trip in Asia and their return tickets were from another country rather than Thailand. If they were cutting their trip short then their airfare is probably non-refundable (the best fares usually are).

The guesthouse they are staying at is in the 700 baht/night range, which also leads me to believe that they were planning a lengthy trip. That's pretty down-market for Phuket and why else would someone with that kind of money stay there?

[francois]

Without doubt they carried cash in lieu of paying the 150 Baht ATM fees?

and did they have holiday insurance?

Remember the Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand video of people requiring police reports for the insurance claims ... the police claimed that many were faked claims

[giggsy]

and did they have holiday insurance?

Remember the Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand video of people requiring police reports for the insurance claims ... the police claimed that many were faked claims

exactly --- get howard miller on the case

[zinzone]

Sounds like the story has a ring of truth about it despite the victims being stupid in having so much cash on them. According to the police prior to the theft a Swedish couple had also been targeted in the same way and had things stolen. So the theft and its' modus operendi is probably correct.
Can therefore likely rule out it was a false report though who knows if the amount taken was exaggerated.

Where does it say in the news report the Brits even had insurance?

The article does not say anything about their passports.

To be fair to them can read many stories of people having things stolen from safe deposit boxes in hotel and guest houses.

So if the story is true, the lesson is try to avoid putting any valuables in a motorbike basket .

So if the story is true, the lesson is try to avoid putting any valuables in a motorbike basket .

More like an advertisement for traveler's checks. They are easy to cash so I can't understand why people bring so much cash.

[giggsy]

So if the story is true, the lesson is try to avoid putting any valuables in a motorbike basket .

More like an advertisement for traveler's checks. They are easy to cash so I can't understand why people bring so much cash.

they don't. they don't take rolex watch's and armani suit neither but they all go on the insurance claim. :laughing3:

[Brad the Impala]

So if the story is true, the lesson is try to avoid putting any valuables in a motorbike basket .

More like an advertisement for traveler's checks. They are easy to cash so I can't understand why people bring so much cash.

they don't. they don't take rolex watch's and armani suit neither but they all go on the insurance claim. :laughing3:

Actually most insurance policies have a limit on the amount of actual cash that is covered, perhaps ┬г500. The suggestion in the story is that they need to go home now. I guess that they were either on their way to do a "cash only" deal of some kind, or that the cash had originated in some illegal "cash only" deal or job.

Nothing posted by Brad rings true, unfortunately - partcularly if it concerns what is covered by the "standard" insurance policy.