Travel Scams

The following account is by Alex whose interesting blog, beautifully illustrated with his superb images,can be found at http://myloismylife.blogspot.com (A Malaysian Photo Blog and Travelogue)

I hope he doesn't mind I give his account prominence here as I think all travellers should be alerted to the various travel scams. ROGER


"In Thailand, there is a scam infamously known as the Bangkok Gem Scam.

Love, lust, deceit & money. Why leave his wallet and gold ring in the presence of a total stranger. That is silly.

Well, I was charmed by a sweet talker to part away my RM200 late last year. I was actually waiting for an inter-city train at KL Sentral to Kedah. I was reading a book on the departure platform. This 40++ guy approached me and bombarded me with his 'problem'. From the conversation, I was 'convinced' that:

a) He was robbed while sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur
b) He is the new Citibank Regional Manager posted to Malaysia head office. He has in-depth knowledge about Citibank opration including the exact name of the BIG BOSS.
c) He needed RM200 to book a hotel in Penang while waiting for his credit card to be reissued.
d) He was holding a valid ticket to Butterworth.
e) He gave his hand phone number to me and also asked for my banking account number for him to deposit back my money.

Strange enough, the number given to me was valid. I waited for three weeks and called him again asking him to return my money. Later, I threatened to lodge a police report. It was a losing battle. End of day....nobody pick up my call anymore.

I learnt my lesson...the hard way!"