Arriving in Bangkok airport
I was greeted by a friendly looking Thai lady offering me a taxi, I explained I had no Thai money on me at the time, so she took me to a cash machine and waited while I took out some money.

Feeling bad that she had waited around for me and not knowing any other way to get a taxi I asked her how much. 800 baht, she replied, which back then was about £20. I knew it would take about half an hour to get to the centre so it seemed reasonable to me. After giving her a 1000 baht note, she looks at me and very slowly and deliberately counts out 6 notes into my hand. I wasn't fully aware of the denominations of Thai currency but I was pretty sure they didn't have 33.333 baht notes, so I waited smiling with my hand outstretched, and she smiled and give me a couple more notes. Satisfied I sat down to wait, thinking smugly to myself, I may have just got off a 13 hour flight and am tired as fuck, but you still have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch out the Captain.

Half an hour later of waiting my smugness started to dwindle, they had finally recruited another willing passenger and we were bundled into a taxi.

An uncomfortable ride later I get to my destination on Khao San road, where I learnt from other travellers that a taxi from the airport should cost around 50 baht.

Whilst the amount of money lost was fairly small, the lesson was invaluable, don't trust the natives. It held me in good stead throughout Asia and South America, and probably helped me avoid, having all my possessions stolen, all kinds of s.t.d.s, massive bar tabs, coming home with ill fitting suits and expensive polished glass, being used as a drugs mule, losing a kidney and being sold into the sex trade. All the above may or may not have happened to people I know.
(Little Animal Disaster isn't finishing what he started, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 21:35, 18 replies)

Yep
Foreigners are fucking stupid, and it's hilarious taking advantage of them for financial and/or amusement gain. Good job Thailand is relatively cheap to get fucked over in (hah).

Here (Finland) we just have guns and beer. Much more amusing than Lincoln or Hull.
(Klangtarnflatchslapper looks just like a Telefunken U-47, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 21:44, closed)

It's not always that cheap
I guy I met had met a friendly Thai chap who invited him out for a drinks, and they were joined by loads of sexy Thai ladies who, unbeknownst to the guy I met, he was buying drinks for all night, in a very expensive establishment. When the bill came it was about a couple of grand (UK money). The Thai chap said no worries, we'll split it.
(Little Animal Disaster isn't finishing what he started, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 21:49, closed)

It's a culture
Of monetising on the tourist trade. Hell, got to respect it. Bleary-eyed jetlagged money-laden foreigners come into your well-oiled hypenated-description of a trap and you hit it nightly. The police are on your side (if they turn up) anyway and after all, it's not too far removed from Scarborough or Skeg Vegas. Except you don't get fag butts up your ass in Pataya, and you're less likely to catch AIDS or Eastenders during congress.
(Klangtarnflatchslapper looks just like a Telefunken U-47, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 21:55, closed)

I run a shop.
People hailing from the East (Europe & beyond) try to rip me off on a daily basis. Then bitch and moan about the price of bread. Don't trust natives indeed.
(Vinnie Strokes Got bummed on, Thu 30 Sep 2010, 23:22, closed)

if i read this right...
he meets a guy (employed by said establishment) who offers to pay half of a fabricated bill in order to encourage the willing victim into paying up?
(Deligrams, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:20, closed)

^This^
Sounds a bit dodgy to me.
(How do you put the line through 'bit' and put 'lot'?)
( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:26, closed)

This what you mean?
<s>bit</s> lot

Comes out as

bit lot
( LemonEntryMyDearWatson This time, Moriarty, the hand is on the other foot, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 12:15, closed)

Many thanks dear chap!

( Blind Meach Cautiously optimistic, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 14:25, closed)

Yup
There were worse scams in other places, people having drugs planted on them and then marched to cash machines by fake policemen (Lima) cost £500 that one. To be fair he looked like he probably had drugs on him anyway, big hippy beard, stupid hippy trousers.

The usual Thai one is to sell you drugs then shop you to the police, they come along and search you. Confiscate the drugs and give you a warning, the drugs then go back to the original drug dealer and they split your money.

Don't let this put you off going anywhere, just be on your guard, don't mess about with drugs (or look like you do) or get too drunk (easier said than done) and remember the gorgeous Thai woman chatting to you hasn't loved you for a long time, she probably hasn't even been a woman for that long.
(Little Animal Disaster isn't finishing what he started, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:58, closed)

Same thing happened to me in Kuala Lumpur on arrival. I'm happy to say that prepared me for all the subsequent attempts in Thailand which I managed to avoid.
(Dildo Bugger destroyed a ring on, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 0:35, closed)

Heh ..
.. yep, it's a cosmic law of some kind I guess .. tourists *will* be overcharged on the initial cab ride from the airport. I guess the best thing to do is to accept it and learn.

Also, there are all the little scams that people will pull during the first few days, until you build up you harness of distrust. Me? Fell for the old "my sick child needs powdered milk, will you please buy me a bit at the store?"-trick in Havana. Where "a bit" amounts to a bag priced at five dollars, which is returned to the store once stupid tourist leaves the scene :-)

Not that I blame them. I would have done the same if I were in their shoes, I guess ..
(spinoza, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:06, closed)

That's a bitch.
I read a bit of lonely planet/time out guide before going so was able to avoid this. But even so a metered taxi cost 4 to 500 baht in 2006.
( Geoff the Clownfish You know Myra, some people might think you're cute, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:21, closed)

looks like you got ripped off too
travelhappy.info/thailand/price-of-a-taxi-from-bangkok-airport-to-khao-san-road/

315-365 in 2008. The next day I fell for the cheap tuk tuk ride scam, I will take you to all the temples only 20 baht, oh in between I will take you to my friends suit shop, jem shop, paper shop, another suit shop. My guy was actual cool about it and explained he gets a bit of money for everyone he brings in, I get a dirt cheap tuk tuk tour of the city. I never did get to the main temple I was so fed up after a while I told him to take me back.

The next day I got helped across the road by an old man (it's intimidating alright!), who told me some of the history about Thailand explained that it was a special day and lots of the temples were shut, but there were some special kick boxing demonstrations going on. After a good half an hour of pleasant chat he then called me a Tuk-Tuk and said he would take me to all the places he had told me about. I politely declined and he called me all the names under the sun. Just as I was thinking that were actually some people in Thailand not trying to scam you.
(Little Animal Disaster isn't finishing what he started, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 9:52, closed)

Hmm, I think the traffic was a bit full-on
I did all that with the taxi firm, got my bit of paper, even kept an eye on the meter - it all seemed good.
Had heard about the tuk-tuk 'tours' so we walked a lot or took the overhead train & only took a tuk-tuk at night, either going for drinks/dinner or on the way back to the hotel. 40 baht max! I heard some of them around the temples quoting 500 - and people were paying it!
You've just got to be aware that it happens. On a river taxi the ticket guy tried to charge one of us 10 times the actual fare - the scamp!
( Geoff the Clownfish You know Myra, some people might think you're cute, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 13:32, closed)

Thank God it's not just me
In Sri Lanka, she who must be obeyed and I were walking along Colombo's seafront trying to shake off the crippling jet lag. A guy approached us and, to cut a long story short, took us for the temple tuk-tuk ride and then to a bar where we somehow ended up paying his tab too.
I was annoyed at myself for falling for it, but the upside was we got a few hours' excursion around Colombo for less than 30 quid. The travel company wanted more than that.
At least in Sri Lanka, they were polite about trying to deprive you of your cash. In Egypt they're conscience-free money-grabbing scumbags trying to get you to tip them for every little thing. Best examples: the airport worker loading cases onto the security X-ray machine wanting a tip for doing it, and the policeman asking for "baksheesh" for pointing out where our horse & cart was parked for the return trip to the hotel from a temple.
( Snappyuk gets BIGGER with free sample., Fri 1 Oct 2010, 16:58, closed)

Now there is a train from the airport into central Bangkok
Its 100Baht for a superquick 15 minute trip.
www.bangkokairporttrain.com/
The taxi scammers must be well pissed off!
( Herman Blume is unique, just like everyone else, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 11:13, closed)

My rule of thumb in Thailand
was to divide whatever sum they demanded by 10 and stick to it. They were usually making well over the cost even on this basis and were happy enough with that amount.
(Falco, Fri 1 Oct 2010, 13:02, closed)

Get out of the airport go over the road and take the bus.

(waxdart hello., Fri 1 Oct 2010, 16:58, closed)