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One scam a friend of my parent's fell for in Bangkok is the suit scam. Basically, the scammer dresses as a tourist information guide and waits outside the Royal Palace, and regretfully tells tourists the palace is closed to the public today because of a public holiday/religious festival/the King's visiting/whatever. He then encourages you to take a – conveniently waiting – taxi to some other attraction you'll really love. The taxi guy then either takes you to some small temple where you 'coincidentally' meet a fellow foreigner who just got a great deal on a suit – or, if they're less subtle, just drives you to a nearby suit store and refuses to take you anywhere else until you buy a suit. Honestly, since the scam requires at least two confederates and they do still tailor you a suit, even if it's a crappy one, I'm not convinced this is the most profitable scam they could be running. But it and related scams are apparently enough of a problem that now the Royal Palace has loudspeakers all over it constantly broadcasting messages saying the palace is open to the public, as well as signs warning tourists of scams and to 'avoid wily strangers'. Actually, I was a little disappointed when I visited Thailand – I think I got ripped off a little on the fare by one of the taxi drivers I hired, but other than that, everyone I dealt with seemed to be on the level...
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Mar 22, 2016 10:21
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thrakkorzog posted:I'm guessing it's a basic MLM scam, sign up a bunch of people and you get to go free, similar to spring break scams. Sell enough Cancun vacations to your friends and you get to go party in Cancun. Yeah, my university ran a genuine 'study abroad' course visiting Greece and Turkey for Classics and Archeology students. Really wish I'd been able to afford to go at the time, and I'd still love to visit Istanbul.
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Apr 9, 2016 13:21
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