Scam City - Bangkok
Last week, while watching Scam City on National Geographic, they flashed the commercial for this week's Scam City. Featured country? BANGKOK!
Justin and I high-fived each other in glee. See, we got scammed in Bangkok, and had to jump off a partially moving tuktuk to escape being taken to another jewelry/suit store. Ahhhh, memories. We were excited to see it featured on TV.
So we waited, and waited and waited. And what happened?? They featured another city instead! Buenos Aires!! Noooo!! National Geographic, how could you do this to us?? Tease us then last minute, just, leave us hanging? We waited the whole week for this! Perhaps showing Bangkok in NG Asia was too close for comfort and they had to pull it out. But, argh!!
I checked online if by any chance, it was uploaded in Youtube, and luckily it was!! Hallelujah!
Before heading on over to Bangkok, please watch this video. You could be at a mall, or smack in front of a temple, and they will con you into thinking the temple or mall is closed (lucky Buddha day, monks are praying, etc) then recommend another temple, refer you to a tuktuk. Then the tuktuk takes you to a temple where there's a mysterious man who starts a conversation with you about a sale in a special Export store for one day only. Then he talks about how awesome blue or black sapphires are, etc. This is done in ALL temples and malls and important sights! Then the tuktuk takes you to a jewelry store.
It's not dangerous or anything, but what a pain in the ass! Then they force you to buy jewelry. If you go back to your home country, chances are, the jewels were sold twice its worth. The police are paid not to do anything about it. What happens in the video is EXACTLY what happens to us (luckily we just bought a tanzan-looking ring to appease them and get out of there, hahaha). The damn tuktuk was going to take us to another store, luckily we were able to jump out. They don't mean any harm, but going through those side streets is intimidating.
Please watch this part! And if ever, watch the other Scam City episodes, they're all absolutely FASCINATING!
For more info on Bangkok scams, Gem Scams, etc, read here:
http://globetrottergirls.com/2012/03/getting-scammed-in-bangkok/
Justin and I high-fived each other in glee. See, we got scammed in Bangkok, and had to jump off a partially moving tuktuk to escape being taken to another jewelry/suit store. Ahhhh, memories. We were excited to see it featured on TV.
So we waited, and waited and waited. And what happened?? They featured another city instead! Buenos Aires!! Noooo!! National Geographic, how could you do this to us?? Tease us then last minute, just, leave us hanging? We waited the whole week for this! Perhaps showing Bangkok in NG Asia was too close for comfort and they had to pull it out. But, argh!!
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| Photo taken from: http://www.awesomedl.com/2012/11/scam-city-season-1-episode-6-bangkok.html Download of episode available there as well |
I checked online if by any chance, it was uploaded in Youtube, and luckily it was!! Hallelujah!
Before heading on over to Bangkok, please watch this video. You could be at a mall, or smack in front of a temple, and they will con you into thinking the temple or mall is closed (lucky Buddha day, monks are praying, etc) then recommend another temple, refer you to a tuktuk. Then the tuktuk takes you to a temple where there's a mysterious man who starts a conversation with you about a sale in a special Export store for one day only. Then he talks about how awesome blue or black sapphires are, etc. This is done in ALL temples and malls and important sights! Then the tuktuk takes you to a jewelry store.
It's not dangerous or anything, but what a pain in the ass! Then they force you to buy jewelry. If you go back to your home country, chances are, the jewels were sold twice its worth. The police are paid not to do anything about it. What happens in the video is EXACTLY what happens to us (luckily we just bought a tanzan-looking ring to appease them and get out of there, hahaha). The damn tuktuk was going to take us to another store, luckily we were able to jump out. They don't mean any harm, but going through those side streets is intimidating.
Please watch this part! And if ever, watch the other Scam City episodes, they're all absolutely FASCINATING!
For more info on Bangkok scams, Gem Scams, etc, read here:
http://globetrottergirls.com/2012/03/getting-scammed-in-bangkok/
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