I had to change $20,000 into pounds sterling and I wanted to get the best rate possible. I called around the banks and money changers in Pattaya and then phoned Vasu, an exchange office near skvt soi 9 in BKK that I had used many times before for much smaller transactions. When I did the calculations I was going to save 15,000 baht by going to Bangkok, and also they promised that getting hold of English 50 pound notes was no problem. When I arrived at Vasu with my girlfriend we were ushered into a small side office. A clerk that I had seen many times before took my $20,000 and started to count it. I myself had counted the cash 3 times and had put it in elasticated bundles of $1000. After a couple of minutes and with the cash now all lumped together the clerk looked up from across the desk and said quite calmly that there was only $16,000. He pushed the money back over to me and indeed there was only $16,000. However, I knew it was a con and I wasn't going mad because 20 elastic bands remained on the desk. I got a terrible sinking feeling in my gut but didn't outwardly show anything. I suddenly realised that the whole buisiness is a set up to get unwitting customers, making large transactions, into that purpose built office. I noticed for example that the desk was much wider than usual and it went wall to wall so nobody could easily cross to the other side. People that carry out this type of sting in Thailand are organised and dangerous. I quickly decided that trying to use force would be unwise, they must be prepared for that eventuality. I and my girlfriend could end up injured or shot and maybe I would lose the rest of the money. I decided that the best policy was to get out of there with as much as I could. The clerk counted out the English pounds and handed them to me. I counted the money twice and then examined each note as best I could for signs of forgery. Thankfully the pounds were genuine.
So it was that I lost $4,000. Wonderful! Before anybody slags me off too much I want to explain why this con worked with me. First, this buisiness has operated for many years and I and many friends had used it without problems many times. Second, the clerks were not obvious in trying to get my buisiness. They did not offer an unbelievable rate but rather what I had expected, about 1/2 baht better per dollar/baht and the same per baht/pound. Third, it was going to be impossible to get a lot of 50 pound notes from the banks in Pattaya. I have since been introduced to a chinese money changer in Pattaya that could probably of handled the transaction. If I had not been in Thailand as long as I have I would definitely have started a fight, but where might that have got me? Like I said they must of run this scam many times and they must have all angles covered. If the police were called, and let's face it they are probably in on the con anyway, they would probably confiscate the $16,000 for some BS reason. They would want to know why A British man was in Thailand in possession of so many dollars, even though there was a good explanation I would of had difficulty proving it. When I told a Thai friend of mine about this he said that among Thai criminal gangs this is a well known scam. The perps would only try it with people that could not make them a serious problem. He added that the gang could have been wanting me to start a fight so that they could steal the rest of the money.
For the record the clerk in question is skilled in counting the money so that some of the notes pile up into a ball in the palm of one hand. He then discreetly pulls this cash a short distance back over the desk's edge. Below an accomplice, often a small child, scoops up the money and disappears back under the desk, and possibly through a short tunnel into the next office. To a normal (but cynical) person the slight of hand would be very difficult to detect.