| Scams and Conmen tips and photos posted by real travelers and Bangkok locals. • 14 Photos
• 45 Reviews
See all Bangkok Tourist Traps |
 | Bangkok Scams and Conmen Reviews | 1 - 10 of 45 |  |
 The Unethical Somboondee
Seafood Restaurant by DarkRay
Sadly, I only learnt about this upon my return to Singapore and naively trusted my taxi driver to bring me to the correct place. He brought us to Somboondee Seafood, which was located in a very off-city location, and told us that this was one of the branches of Somboon Seafood. He explained that he brought us here because the one in the city is always very crowded. For various reasons, my brain and that of my compansion's, was half-functioning that day and both of us actually believed him.
My friend and I did suspect that something was wrong when we found the restaurant being totally deserted and the menu prices seemingly very high by Bangkok's standard. Most of the dishes starts from 600 baht which are like up to 10 times the prices of the same stuff in the city.
As it was our last evening in Bangkok before our return to Singapore, and it was already rather late at 9.30pm, we decided to give it a try anyway (told you my brain was not functioning properly) and ended up ordering a Pad Thai, Curry Crab and a Vegetable dish that landed us a bill of over 2,300 baht for just 2 person!
Alas, it was definitely not a lucky day for me as I ran into another scam after leaving the restaurant, this time involving a local policeman.
The food at Samboodee Seafood was ridiculously overpriced, even by Singapore's standards, considering the rotten location, very dated decor, and bad ambience. At that price, I could practically have a grand feast consisting of at least 5 different dishes that include crabs, prawns and venison at Singapore's own Jumbo Seafood, which serves far superior fare than the mediocre fare at Samboondee Seafood.
The real Somboon Seafood outlets are located in busy locations and are always perennially packed with people. Somboon Seafood serves far better fare at prices that are actually less than a quarter that of Somboondie Seafood.
So, if you landed yourself in a restaurant that is not spelt exactly like "Somboon" and is deserted, please cut your losses by alighting from the cab and take another cab Just get out from the cab and take another cab to the real Somboon Seafood Restaurant.
I hope my stupid mistake can serve as a good warning to other travellers.
Again, just get out from the cab and take another cab to the real Somboon Seafood Restaurant. No point making the crooks' day and encouraging them to con other people by letting them earn your money.
Too bad, the taxis in Bangkok are not that well regulated or you should note the errant taxi driver's license plate and file a complaint or something. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
Visiting Bangkok?
Read reviews about Bangkok Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
I know this is classic but I'm always surprised to see how many people still don't know about this trick. If the tuk tuk driver tell you that "Today is a special promotion from government" and he would take you around for very 'cheap price' It's all lie. Government never had such special promotions organized with Tuk Tuk drivers at all. (What they're tried was to ask them favor to be honest and not cheating tourists which apparently didn't really work that well)
They might tell you that a place you want to go (temples, palaces, etc) is close for 'repair' today. Just don't trust a driver. Even it might really close some days (which didn't happen so often) A good driver would never try to bring you to other places instead but just telling you that "sorry it is close today" and leaves (which,how can he know?? Even I live not far from Grand Palace I never know if today it's close or open)
And don't buy anything in Jewelry shops they bring you in there. Usually jewelry are fake or bad quality but sold overpriced. No matter how they tell you about how much you will earn from selling this in your country. This is always a scam.
Best way is to ask before you jump in taxi or tuk tuk. But if you're already in. And if he's stil taking you somewhere you don't want to. Tell him that you'll report this to police. Or just find the police kiosk around. They'll help you. But this is only for REAL bad cases.
Usualy if you keep say NO. Eventually they'll stop bother you.
That's it. They can't force you to buy things anyway if you're not convinced.
1.Take a bus. It could be fun : )
2. Use meter-taxi only.
or find some local friends to hang out with. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 by 20011019
We also went to a temple and there was this young guy of our age. We sat down and talked with him. He askes us which places we were going to visit. Because the other guy had written all the things in our map, this guy knew exactly what was meant by all the circles. So he also notices 'Thai Export' and was very enthusiastic about that. He asked us if we had heard anything about it in the news. Only 7 days per year, the government opens this shop for tourists, while normally is impossible for normal people to visit over there. So we were lucky. There were tourists from all over the world coming especially for these 7 days!! I was very excited as we left the temple, but my boyfriend saw the scam. He explained to me that the first man, the tuc tuc driver and this guy were all in it together. But it was briliantly put together!! It is very convincing, but good we figured it out, we were still on time to go to the palace, as ofcourse it was not closed at all! (we just came to the wroing entrance)
We came out of it better. We saw a lot of things for only 30 bhat. Something we could not have managed ourselves. But we still had to go to the shop. So I pretended to be sick. When I came in, the first thing I asked, was the toilet. After that they immediately let us leave. When they know that you know, they're not going to waste any more time on you. So play dumb during the whole tour, and when you get to the shop let them show a little bit that you know. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
A middle-age man, dark tall dress smart with necktie will claimed he is a doctor who works across the road and every morning he comes to pray and he will show us where to go the very cheap Thai local products that are made for export markets (30% discount) This place is hugh and all other department stores only open at 1pm and you can’t do any shopping now. He will show you to a TukTuk (its all a setup) and claimed that he can even bargain and you only pay the TukTuk 40baht. From the Erawan Shrine (that is where I met this) to a place near the National Stadium. The TukTuk will bring you to a building where the signboard says "Thai Local Products" with a banner 30% off. We did not go in. What do you think you get from this place? Lowest quality merchandises, fake gemstones and silk etc etc. I supposed…So...Beware of this con. We realised too late. We was lucky, We only lost 40baht for the transport. We really get mad, I sent my family to MBK, my son and I went back to that place, I wanted to give him a piece of my mind. We were lucky, he was there now with his other con friend (smartly dress too). I shouted at him and I said "Come in here and Swear that you are a doctor””Swear to me that all other Shopping malls opened at 1 pm. I told my son, “get me my camera”. Now he got really really nervous. His friend quickly called him. They jump into a taxi.
NB. Thinking back, I can be stubborn sometime. Never go back to confront these people. You do not know who they are. After all its a learning process we are all going through. Learn from your mistake. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Never go to the road outside Grand Palace. There are Thai lady tricksters out there forcing you to feed the pigeons and try to seek money from your pockets. Gem scams seem to have disappeared into the air but there are direct mobile vendors trying to sell Thai hats to you at an exorbitant price.
At least walk quickly to the nearby bus stop and catch a bus to areas near Khao San Road.
Roam at Suan Lum Night Bazaar, which I find it very safe because of the presence of the tourist police. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Bangkok?
Read reviews about Bangkok Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
PLEASE REMEMBER THIS: YELLOW LICENSE ARE TUKTUK TAXIS AND WHITE LICENSES ARE PRIVATELY-OWNED TUKTUKS. Yellow license tuktuks are regular taxis (there is a TAXI sign on top of their roof), you bargain the fare before you ride them. White license tuktuks are privately-owned, therefore are used mostly by scamers, you also bargain the fare before you ride but they are usually cheaper than regular taxi tuktuks. If you want to check what I'm saying, observe the following when you get to Bangkok: (1) the car-taxi's license color; (2) what color of tuktuk's license the locals ride. I recommend you approach the tuktuk drivers yourself, instead of being talked into using their service by their front-agents. White-licensed tuktuks agents or driver will asked you if you have a map if not they will use their own map. On the map they'll point out tourist attractions and gem/tailor/souvenir shops along the way to the attractions. At this point, the driver will set the fare; you will bargain the fare if you choose to use their service. My experience with the white-licensed tuktuk was some what producted, except for the restaurant. My driver told me first hand that the shops will give him gas coupons, it doesn't matter if I buy or not. With the set fare, your driver will take you to the attractions and wait for you until you are done. If you are hungry, ask your driver to take you to a cheap restaurant or else he will take to an expensive one (expensive is expensive on a Thai's budget, but not on westener's budget, around 10 -15 dollars per dish), also the driver will get some kind of kick-back from the restaurant. Don't be discourage riding tuktuks, they are great to ride and one of the best way to explore Bangkok.
If you realized that you got scamed while riding the tuktuk, pretend you need to stop at a nearby 7-11 store to buy water. When you get off, pay your driver and terminate his service.
Regular taxis. Ask the driver to use the meter.
|
| | |
Do not--do not--speak with Thais that come up to you in Bangkok that speak perfect English. No matter how friendly they seem, they are usually part of a tuk-tuk scam designed to take you around to useless 'attractions' and ultimately jewelry shops. Do not take a tuk-tuk, they will take you to random locations as part of a commission-scam.
And do not--do not--ever listen when a 'helpful' passerby tells you that the Grand Palace is closed and that you should go view a special temple. It's a bull. And you will just get scammed on the tuk-tuk.
Last but not least, don't ever-ever--get in a tuk-tuk on Bangkok. You don't know where--or with who--you'll end up.
|
This is a fairly common scam which is active in many parts of South East Asia, you will be approached by someone in the street who may even be posing as a tourist. They, in a friendly manor will ask you some question about where you are from, what your job is and then they will tell you that their daughter or sister is going to study at a university or is moving to your city to work and knows nothing about the place. They will socialise some more to gain your friendship and confidence and then ask you if you could meet their daughter/sister to tell them about your country. Do not agree to meet the girl, I did and they took me out to the suburbs of Bangkok to a persons place and strangely the girl was off shopping, if there really ever was a girl. They cooked me up a lovely lunch and tried all too hard to make me feel like a close friend. One by one they all used lame excuses to leave the table until there was only me and one other man at the table, who started to tell me that he was going to retire within the next five years and that he was short of cash and needed someone to help in a gambling scam on the cruise ship where he worked. I promptly declined and shortly after they put me back in a taxi to where I came from. I never found out exactly how the scam worked but I am very suspicious that I would have been the victim , not the cruise ship and not other players. Just be wary of anyone who appears to be trying too hard to help you or to divert you off your plan of activities, that should eliminate 90% of con mens attempts to take advantage of you. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
Voglee Tailors
It works like this:
1/ Go for a walk in Bangkok - say, near the Grand Palace.
2/ PERSON A. Strike up a conversation with a local - at the time it may occur to you that it is the local who has struck up the conversation with you.
3/ The local marks on your map places to go, including a shop, Voglee Tailors, manufacturers for Armani and the King of Thailand - it is the last day of their sale, and that on only this day foreigners will be allowed to buy.
4/ Get a tuk tuk - the local may speak with the tuk tuk driver to explain where it is you'd like to go.
5/ Visit the temples etc marked on your map.
6/ PERSON B. At one of the temples you will meet another local, this time a Thai man with a US accent. He told me that he worked in New York as a tax consultant. He may ask where you will be going; Voglee Tailors will arise in the conversation, and he will re-iterate that it is the last day of their sale, and say that you are lucky as they do not normally sell to foreigners, that they are tailors to the King of Thailand, that he buys all his suits there, and that they make suits for Armani - "Armani Style" - but without the labels which are sewn on in Italy; he may even say that you would expect to pay 1800 USD for a suit but it will sell at Voglee for 200-300 USD.
7/ After visiting the temples etc, visit Voglee Tailors. For tailors to the king this place is not as well presented as you may imagine. They will take your measurements and ask you to select the style of clothing - you may well be shepherded into the process of the sale and they will try to up-sell you more than you may wish to buy, e.g. extra trousers, shirts, coats.
This process is more likely to be effective if you are pre-disposed to buy clothing in Thailand, having heard about the possibility of getting tailor made clothing at a cheap price.
Of course you may buy there, but remember, they are just another tailor!
If you have to go to the tourist trap, do this:
1 - on introduction, ask for the name of the tailor you are dealing with.
2 - it IS an option to leave without buying. (If you do wish to buy, this may be your best bargaining tool.)
3 - ask to see actual samples of workmanship, including the suit you are thinking of buying - you may wish to alter details on the suit such as cuffs.
4 - inspect the packaging that will be used to ship the goods, and if you are buying request that the suit be loosely folded.
5 - ask for their website address.
6 - haggle - make a lower offer, and be prepared to walk away. You owe them nothing for having measured you up.
7 - buy less than they aim to sell you - you may always go back or correspond, or go to another tailor, or buy something at home.
An alternative - don't go to the shop suggested on your map.
If you want to get a nice tailor made suit, do research first - contact the Thai tourism office for advice as to which tailors are known and renowned, and research on the internet.
|
| | |
Thailand is well known for its scams (especially Bangkok), so there's a fairly long list of warnings, but if you have your wits about you, you will be fine.
Some things you should be aware of -
If you take a taxi in Bangkok, make sure the meter is on! If the taxi driver refuses to put it on, get another taxi. Elsewhere (where metered taxis may not be available), agree a fare before setting off.
At the bus stations and airport, make sure you take an official taxi and don't go with a tout, they may rip you off.
Don't believe tuk-tuk drivers when they tell you an attraction is closed, they are probably going to try to take you to a shop (from which they collect a commission). This is especially true if they only ask for a cheap fare. If your guidebook tells you an attraction is open and someone tells you it's closed, go check for yourself - the guidebook is probably right! Sometimes drivers will also tell you a guest house is closed or 'dirty', if a different place will pay them commission - if it's somewhere you want to go to, again, it's worth seeing for yourself.
There are lots of fakes about - fake labels, fake fabrics (especially silk) and fake gems. Almost everything cheap is a fake or unbranded, but not everything expensive is real, unless you are in a 'reputable' shop (eg the Nike shop in Siam Square is definitely for real!). Take care when buying; one thing to bear in mind is that refunds are *very* hard to get.
Also, be especially cautious of anyone who approaches you in the street; chances are that they will be a tout or a con-man; get even more suspicious if they want you to go somewhere with them - if you want to chat, suggest going to somewhere public like a cafe or coffee shop. Gem scams in particular start like this (or with a tuk-tuk ride); you can read all about these at this excellent page at 2bangkok.com. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
|
More Bangkok Travel Deals Pattaya Travel
Book With the Travel Company Rated #1 in Customer Service by Consumers Bangkok Vacations $1145
Book the Vacation of Your Dreams With Singapore Airline Vacations. Bangkok Hotel Packages
Luxurious Bed & Breakfast Package in Bangkok. Rates starting at $299. Sponsored Links
- Le Fenix Sukhumvit
33/33 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Klong Toey Nua, Wattana,, Bangkok - Siam Society Hotel
302 Soi Yothinpattana Praditmanutham Rd Klongjan, Bangkapi, Bangkok - Eastin Bangkok Hotel
1091/343 New Petchaburi Road Makkasan, Rajthevee, Bangkok - Grand President Bangkok
14 - 16 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Bangkok - Sawasdee Sukhumvit Inn
123 Sukhumvit 57 Prakanong, Bangkok - Homduang Boutique Hotel Sathorn
1633 / 2 Soi Chan 2 (Waitee), Bangkok - White Orchid
409-421 Yawaraj Road Sampanthawong, Bangkok - Four Seasons Bangkok
155 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok - Bangkok Golf Spa Resort
99 3 Moo 2 Tiwanon Road Bangkadi Pa, Bangkok - Dusit Princess Srinakarin Bangkok
53 Srinakarin Road Nongbon, Pravet (Formerly "Royal Princess"), Bangkok - Fraser Suites Urbana Sathorn - Bangkok
55 South Sathorn Road Tungmahamek Sathorn, Bangkok - Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
494 Rajdamri Road, Bangkok - Rembrandt Hotel
19 Sukhumvit Soi 18 Klong Toei, Bangkok - Bangkok Rama Place City Resort & Hotel
1546 Pattanakarn Road Suan-Luang, Bangkok - Silom Serene Hotel Bangkok
7 Soi Pipat (Silom Soi 3),, Bangkok
|
