GullibleTraveler.com

In your attempts to avoid travel scams you've probably heard more than one story about the perils of timeshares. These vacation properties have gotten a bad reputation, but the truth is that a few bad apples have attempted to ruin what is actually one of the most convenient and cost-effective methods of travel. When purchased from a reputable timeshare reseller, vacation properties are extremely affordable, flexible and can provide a lifetime of hassle-free vacations.

I first came up with the name Gullible Traveler for a website some years ago. The occasion was a Canadian friend and his wife visiting Bangkok. Hah. A right couple of patsies they were too. I told them so. Do not take Tuk Tuk in Bangkok I said. If you do, never listen to their song and dance I said. And above all, never buy jewelry or watches or the like from any shop they steer you to I said. So; true to form they come home with a diamond ring. One that was recommended to them by a Tuk Tuk driver who insisted all the shops were closed because of a holiday of some sort. The value and savings would more than cover the cost of their holiday he said. The rest, as they say, is history. The ring was worth next to nothing and the price of the holiday increased by the cost of the ring. This website then is devoted to gullible travelers no matter where they come from or go to. We will start with what Wikipedia says about Thailand shall we?

Scams as related by Wikipedia

Thailand has more than its fair share of scams, but most are easily avoided with a modicum of common sense.
More a nuisance than a danger, a common scam by touts, taxi drivers and tuk-tuk drivers in Thailand is to wait by important monuments and temples and waylay Western travelers, telling them that the site is closed for a "Buddhist holiday", "repairs" or a similar reason.

The 'helpful' driver will then offer to take the traveler to another site, such as a market or store. Travelers who accept these offers will often end up at out-of-the-way markets with outrageous prices - and no way to get back to the center of town where they came from.

Always check at the front gate of the site you're visiting to make sure it's really closed.
Avoid any tuk-tuks in Bangkok. Tuk-tuk drivers might demand much higher price than agreed, or they might take you to a sex show, pretending they didn't understand the address (they get commissions from sex shows). For the same reason, avoid drivers who propose their services without being asked, especially near major tourist attractions.

Don't buy any sightseeing tours at the airport.
If you do, they will phone several times to your hotel in order to remind you about the tour. During the tour, you will be shortly taken to a small temple, without a guide, and then one shop after another (they get commissions). They might refuse to take you back home until you see all the shops. On your way back, they pressure you to buy more tours.

Easily identified with practice, it is not uncommon in tourist areas to be approached by a clean cut, well-dressed man who often will be toting a cellphone. These scammers will start up polite conversation, showing interest in the unsuspecting tourist's background, family, or itinerary. Inevitably, the conversation will drift to the meat of the scam. This may be something as innocuous as over-priced tickets to a kantok meal and show, or as serious as a gambling scam or (particularly in Bangkok) the infamous gem scam. Once identified, the wary traveller should have no trouble picking out these scammers from a crowd. The tell-tale well pressed slacks and button down shirt, freshly cut hair of a conservative style, and late-model cellphone comprise their uniform. Milling around tourist areas without any clear purpose for doing so, the careful traveler should have no difficulty detecting and avoiding these scammers.

Many visitors will encounter young Thai ladies armed with a clipboard and a smile enquiring as to their nationality, often with an aside along the lines of "please help me to earn 30 baht". The suggestion is that the visitor completes a tourism questionnaire (which includes supplying their hotel name and room number) with the incentive that they just might win a prize - the reality is that everyone gets a call to say that they are a "winner", however the prize can only be collected by attending an arduous time-share presentation. Note; the lady with the clipboard doesn't get her 30 baht if you don't attend the presentation; also that only English-speaking nationalities are targeted.

Another recurrent scam involves foreigners - sometimes accompanied by small children - who claim to be on the last day of their vacation in Thailand, and having just packed all their belongings into one bag in preparation for their flight home, lost everything when that bag was stolen. Now cash is urgently needed in order to get to the airport in a hurry and arrange a replacement ticket for his/her return flight in a few hours time.

Robbery on overnight buses
There have been some reports about people getting drugged and robbed while traveling on overnight buses. This happens as gas or another sleeping substance is put in the air-conditioning system of the bus so that all passengers fall asleep during the night while the crew of the bus stay in the lower deck, unaffected. Next passengers' bags and belongings are gone through by some crew members, and cash is taken. while still dizzy ,the passengers are rushed out of the bus upon arrival before they can find out they'd been robbed. To avoid this, steer away from cheapish and non-government buses ,make sure you have all your money stored safely in a money belt or another hard-to-reach place and always check your money balance before getting off. Warning your travel companions about this danger is also advised. In case this happens, firmly refuse to get off the bus, tell the rest of the people about the situation and immediately call the police.

Prostitution
Thailand's age of consent is 15 but a higher minimum age of 18 applies in the case of prostitutes. Thai penalties for sex with minors are harsh, and even if your partner is over the age of consent in Thailand, tourists who have sex with minors may be prosecuted by their home country. As far as ascertaining the age of your partner goes, all adult Thais must carry an identity card, which will state that they were born in 2531 or earlier if they were over the age of 18 on January 1st 2007 (in the Thai calendar, AD 2007 is the year 2550).

Some prostitutes are "freelancers", but most are employed by bars or similar businesses, if hiring a prostitute from a bar or similar business, you will have to pay a fee for the establishment called a "bar fine". The prostitutes who work at bars may be deceptive to first-time travelers, as they are also often the bartenders, or as they are called there, "bargirls". Be wary of prostitutes: most are very poor and some are indentured sex slaves. They're far more likely to be interested in money you can give them than in any continuing relationship for its own sake. More importantly, Thailand has a high rate of STD infection, including HIV/AIDS, both among the general population and among prostitutes. Condoms can be bought easily in Thailand in all convenience shops and pharmacies but may not be as safe as Western ones.

Technically, some aspects of prostitution in Thailand are illegal (e.g. soliciting, pimping), however enforcement is liberal and brothels are commonplace. It's not illegal to pay for sex or to pay a "bar fine".

[edit]Drugs
Thailand has extremely strict drug laws and your foreign passport is not enough to get you out of legal hot water. Possession and trafficking offenses that would merit traffic-ticket misdemeanors in other countries can result in life imprisonment or even death in Thailand. Police frequently raid nightclubs, particularly in Bangkok, with urine tests and full body searches on all patrons. Ko Pha Ngan's notoriously drug-fueled Full Moon Parties also often draw police attention.

Possession of cannabis (ganchaa), while illegal, is treated less harshly and, if busted, you may be able to pay an "on the spot fine" to get out, although even this can set you back tens of thousands of baht. It's highly unwise to rely on this.

Back to Gullible Traveler
In Thailand, every foreigner, even those that have been here for 20 or more years is a target for a scam. Taxi drivers, TUK TUK drivers, street beggars, t-shirt and artifact sales people he lot. They will always try to get more out of a Farang (foreigner).

”Where you go Pa Pa” rings out the call, every morning when I am on the way to my office. I don’t reply; they keep trying. Tailor shops are among the peskiest offenders. All along any busy tourist thoroughfare their shills are outside the shop, asking tourists how they are doing today and inviting them to step inside.

Get the picture? Thais don’t normally have to use a gun to get your money. They use charm, a smile and your stupidity. Don’t be gullible.

Dear viewer.
We started this www.gullibletraveler.com web domain to illustrate how downright naive some tourists and travelers are. The object was to warn people about the perils of buying diamonds from strangers, deals from Nigerians and the like. We are pretty busy here at Activelifestyle and we never got around to it. But now we feel we can wait no longer. We feel we must expose the biggest, most calous, coldest, non-caring public companies of them all.