Lord Toad Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I do not think this person was very wise but I post as a warning: Drugged and mugged in Bangkok On the morning of July 7 I left my hotel in Sukhumvit Road to walk into central Bangkok. A young woman of perhaps 30 and a Filipino man of about 50 approached me in a friendly manner. Finding I was English, the man said that his sister was coming to London to work as a hospital nurse. As she was apprehensive about living in Britain, he asked if I would come to his home to reassure her. I said I would be happy to help as, by coincidence, my grandson was also a nurse in London. He called a taxi and after 15 minutes we arrived at an attractive bungalow set in a garden. I accepted a soft drink and the sister came and sat beside me. I spoke to her about nursing in London and she listened politely. Then the man asked me to come into another room, where he produced a pack of cards and said he would educate me in the secrets of card play. By this time I seemed to be floating in a dreamlike place. I started giggling, which annoyed the man. He asked to see my wallet and roughly went through it. Other people came and went. We played cards but I had no idea what I was doing. He then took my camera and put it in a cupboard. I was incapable of saying or doing anything. Finally, I was told to get into a taxi and taken to a modern shopping complex by the man and his "nurse" sister. I was told to hand my bank card to a shop assistant. I remember signing the till printouts and seeing the man and his sister head off with shopping bags. The taxi driver then took me back to my hotel. It was not until I reached my room that my brain seemed to clear and the enormity of what I had done dawned on me. It was clear I had been drugged. I phoned my bank to cancel my debit card but three transactions totalling £2,550 had already been cleared and the money taken from my account. The following morning the Filipino man rang my hotel room and made it clear that I should tell nobody. He said if I told the police then we would both go to a Thai jail (I had already informed the police and the British embassy). Fortunately, I did not hear from him again. It was such a frightening experience that I want to warn other travellers to Bangkok. I will not be able to recover any of the £2,550 because I had voluntarily signed for the sums being taken from my account. Name and address supplied Gill Charlton replies Bangkok is known for its sophisticated ways of parting tourists from their money and this appears a particularly elaborate swindle. Beware people who befriend you on the street and ask favours or offer taxi tours. As this male senior citizen discovered, it can prove a life-threatening encounter. From Sunday Telegraph Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils reject Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Idiot! Who in their right mind goes to the home of some people that he's just met? Sister is moving to England and need an Englishman to reasure her about this? Fucking please!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 This has happened before as I recall. Also something about teaching card games for some purpose in Thai casinos...ah, there aren't any are there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Isn't this a decade old scam? Everyday a new fool is arriving in LOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Yes, I seem to recall it. Similar to the Tauts in China town telling you they know a better gold shop because "...these shops no good, for tourists only, I want you to get a good deal..." just as the tuk tuk pulls up... I know a guy from New Zealand, a few years back, he was eating near Pratunam, and some guy approached him, similar deal...took him to his house, nice family, gave him a big meal, and then tried to tell him how some girl in their family was a dealer in a Thai casino...and with a few of his $$s he could help them win back some money they had been cheated out of...he politely declined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustian Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 Odd scenario...I'd suggest certain elements of this story don't quite add up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchapstick Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 I do not think this person was very wise but I post as a warning: Drugged and mugged in Bangkok On the morning of July 7 I left my hotel in Sukhumvit Road to walk into central Bangkok. A young woman of perhaps 30 and a Filipino man of about 50 approached me in a friendly manner. Finding I was English, the man said that his sister was coming to London to work as a hospital nurse. As she was apprehensive about living in Britain, he asked if I would come to his home to reassure her. I said I would be happy to help as, by coincidence, my grandson was also a nurse in London. He called a taxi and after 15 minutes we arrived at an attractive bungalow set in a garden. I accepted a soft drink and the sister came and sat beside me. I spoke to her about nursing in London and she listened politely. Then the man asked me to come into another room, where he produced a pack of cards and said he would educate me in the secrets of card play. By this time I seemed to be floating in a dreamlike place. I started giggling, which annoyed the man. He asked to see my wallet and roughly went through it. Other people came and went. We played cards but I had no idea what I was doing. He then took my camera and put it in a cupboard. I was incapable of saying or doing anything. Finally, I was told to get into a taxi and taken to a modern shopping complex by the man and his "nurse" sister. I was told to hand my bank card to a shop assistant. I remember signing the till printouts and seeing the man and his sister head off with shopping bags. The taxi driver then took me back to my hotel. It was not until I reached my room that my brain seemed to clear and the enormity of what I had done dawned on me. It was clear I had been drugged. I phoned my bank to cancel my debit card but three transactions totalling £2,550 had already been cleared and the money taken from my account. The following morning the Filipino man rang my hotel room and made it clear that I should tell nobody. He said if I told the police then we would both go to a Thai jail (I had already informed the police and the British embassy). Fortunately, I did not hear from him again. It was such a frightening experience that I want to warn other travellers to Bangkok. I will not be able to recover any of the £2,550 because I had voluntarily signed for the sums being taken from my account. Name and address supplied Gill Charlton replies Bangkok is known for its sophisticated ways of parting tourists from their money and this appears a particularly elaborate swindle. Beware people who befriend you on the street and ask favours or offer taxi tours. As this male senior citizen discovered, it can prove a life-threatening encounter. From Sunday Telegraph Link What a fucking moron! Darwinism in it's finest form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Toad Posted August 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 All very well to be cynical but these scams happen because many tourists are just normal people who live in nice safe communities. It is no defense of LOS that they should have known better. And you can bet that the BIB did nothing and that is as much the problem as anything else. It ain't safe out there we know it but many tourists do not! Should they stay away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen...so yes, if a tourist is not alert, they should stay away,IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted August 2, 2009 Report Share Posted August 2, 2009 This is why they are called tourist's Fine for us to say "moron" or "idiot" but the reality is Thailand is known worldwide as having probably the friendliest people on the planet who always greet with a warm smile. Can understand how people get taken so easy. I think in a lot of cases the victim is just that....a victim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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