Peter4
Nov 11, 06, 12:30 am
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There is another thread here describing scams in Bangkok and Thailand.
I wish to start a new thread on how to avoid scams ... an ounce of prevention rather than a pound of cure.
Reading thru the thread about scams I started wondering why so many travellers to Bangkok are the targets of taxi scams and street hustlers, but I am not.
I live in Bangkok, in the middle of one of the foreigner districts.
I walk, shop and take taxis almost every day.
You would think that this middle-age, Caucasian, man would be a prime target for scammers and hustlers.
Yet, they approach me very rarely, but some other people report frequent problems.
Why?
Here are the causes that I have observed.
Each observation can be transformed into a tactic for survival in the city.
I hope other readers will add more.
When I see tuk-tuk drivers (mostly all scammers) or other street hustlers approaching Westerners here, I carefully observe the "mark".
Most of the marks wear T-shirts, usually with something printed on the front.
They usually wear 3/4 length pants cut off just below the knee, or shorts, and often with cargo pockets.
They often wear Teva-type sandals, with no socks.
They often have a knapsack, usually a small day-pack.
Some carry a map or a guidebook, grasped firmly in hand.
And some of the men have unkempt hair, perhaps not long hair, but long overdue for a haircut. All of those factors are like a flashing neon sign attracting scammers.
I prefer to avoid offering temptation to scammers and street hustlers.
I simply don't want that aggravation as I go about my errands in the city.
So, I've adopted these tactics:
Shirts with buttons down the front, in muted colors - never a T-shirt.
Proper trousers, never shorts or 3/4 length pants, and no cargo pockets.
Conventional shoes and socks, rather than sandals.
Never carry a knapsack.
To carry something, use either a plastic bag from a local store, a modest briefcase in soft-side style, or a common "bicycle messenger bag" over my shoulder.
To refer to a map, step into a shop doorway, out of view of the street.
Get haircuts regularly.Bottom line: Using these tactics I almost never even get approached by scammers or street hustlers.
When they have approached me, it has been in a half-hearted way, as if they already realize I am not a juicy mark.
It is easy to ignore them and walk away.
Side note:
Any readers who travel Kaosan Road class, will conclude that in that backpacker ghetto of Bangkok my tactics would stand out, not blend in.
Correct ... but the few times I've gone to Kaosan Road, even there, the many street hustlers avoid me.
I hope these comments are helpful to other travellers coming to Bangkok.
And I'd like to see more observations and additional tactics from other travellers.
- Peter
.
There is another thread here describing scams in Bangkok and Thailand.
I wish to start a new thread on how to avoid scams ... an ounce of prevention rather than a pound of cure.
Reading thru the thread about scams I started wondering why so many travellers to Bangkok are the targets of taxi scams and street hustlers, but I am not.
I live in Bangkok, in the middle of one of the foreigner districts.
I walk, shop and take taxis almost every day.
You would think that this middle-age, Caucasian, man would be a prime target for scammers and hustlers.
Yet, they approach me very rarely, but some other people report frequent problems.
Why?
Here are the causes that I have observed.
Each observation can be transformed into a tactic for survival in the city.
I hope other readers will add more.
When I see tuk-tuk drivers (mostly all scammers) or other street hustlers approaching Westerners here, I carefully observe the "mark".
Most of the marks wear T-shirts, usually with something printed on the front.
They usually wear 3/4 length pants cut off just below the knee, or shorts, and often with cargo pockets.
They often wear Teva-type sandals, with no socks.
They often have a knapsack, usually a small day-pack.
Some carry a map or a guidebook, grasped firmly in hand.
And some of the men have unkempt hair, perhaps not long hair, but long overdue for a haircut. All of those factors are like a flashing neon sign attracting scammers.
I prefer to avoid offering temptation to scammers and street hustlers.
I simply don't want that aggravation as I go about my errands in the city.
So, I've adopted these tactics:
Shirts with buttons down the front, in muted colors - never a T-shirt.
Proper trousers, never shorts or 3/4 length pants, and no cargo pockets.
Conventional shoes and socks, rather than sandals.
Never carry a knapsack.
To carry something, use either a plastic bag from a local store, a modest briefcase in soft-side style, or a common "bicycle messenger bag" over my shoulder.
To refer to a map, step into a shop doorway, out of view of the street.
Get haircuts regularly.Bottom line: Using these tactics I almost never even get approached by scammers or street hustlers.
When they have approached me, it has been in a half-hearted way, as if they already realize I am not a juicy mark.
It is easy to ignore them and walk away.
Side note:
Any readers who travel Kaosan Road class, will conclude that in that backpacker ghetto of Bangkok my tactics would stand out, not blend in.
Correct ... but the few times I've gone to Kaosan Road, even there, the many street hustlers avoid me.
I hope these comments are helpful to other travellers coming to Bangkok.
And I'd like to see more observations and additional tactics from other travellers.
- Peter
.