Gem Scams In Bangkok, Thailand - Warning To Travelers.

Thailand – “The Land of Smiles”. A country abound with pristine beaches in the South and lush, green mountains in the North. In the central region is Bangkok. The most well known vibrant city in South East Asia. It is a shoppers’ paradise. But behind the facade, is the gem scams since the 1950s. A piece of advice, though, for your security, it is sensible to home stay with a Thai family. They know the local places, the authenticity or price of goods and the sellers’ reputation. Being with a local, you are protected. Right, this blog is not about home stay, its more for awareness, when you are traveling by yourself, particularly in Bangkok.

How the scam is conducted.

It often occurs in or near popular tourist attractions. A friendly chap (tout) or tuk-tuk (taxi) driver approaches the tourist, indicating wherever you are going is closed for some reasons or offers to take you to other places in their tuk-tuk for a very low fare. The driver will find some excuses to stop at a point to do something, then “accidentally” some well dressed young/old or male/female persons claims he is a student and the older one claims he works for the government and shows the ID (fake). They will independently confirms the tuk-tuk driver story and convinced you to go to the “government gem shop” because there is a sale going.

The ploy is to take you to a “government” gem stone shop, where the tourist is convinced that he/she can resell the gem at a handsome profit (100% to 150%) back home. Visit http://2bangkok.com (on the left hand column, click for pictures and scam shops location). The gems are often genuine, randomly recommended and sold in a shop-lot (not a kiosk) but at an overly inflated prices. The scam seller writes and stamp on the clause to this effect – “If everything is not ok, we will offer a full refund”. Very pleased (got a deal of a life time) and convinced (offer a full refund). You made the payment by card or cash.

The conclusion is – You Have Been Scammed By One of The Oldest and Most Openly Practiced Scams in Thailand since the 50’s.

For security and details of home stay can be found here –