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"A fool and his money". Are you talking to me?

The Nation, one of Bangkok's daily, English speaking, national newspapers, carried an in-depth story in December 2002 about the countless “gem scams” being played out daily in The Kingdom. The full-page feature highlighted the effect this lucrative, creative and sometimes threatening racket has, not only on the gullible tourists that fall prey to these thieves, but also on the tourism industry in general. The story also brought to light the negative impact on Thailand's enviable and well-earned reputation as a safe, friendly country to visit.

OK. No argument from me on either score, and kudos to The Nation for their excellent coverage and civic responsibility in bringing this problem to our attention. Under the banner, “welcome to my kingdom, foreign fools” the newspaper pointed out that criminals duped unsuspecting tourists from all over the globe of an estimated 100 million Thai Baht ($3 million) per year. Personally I would have thought that figure to be conservative. Surely that is just the reported number, and my guess is that a huge number of these crimes go unreported. The victims are just too embarrassed. Hell, wouldn't you be?

The tricks used to lure unsuspecting prey are similar and uncomplicated. They frequently center around cheap “tuk tuk” rides to supposedly government backed shops. Often collaborating foreigners front the operations, adding to the confidence of the whole game. And who among us has not seen the small armies of crooked touts outside many of the city's leading hotels? These are well-dressed men for the most part, almost all of whom carry the seemingly obligatory “men's leather purse” under their arm. In some cases, according to The Nation, there is even violence, or at the very least, the threat of it.

Uh huh! So what's new? The sayings “a fool and his money are soon parted, or you can't cheat an honest man” are not recent musings you know. Mostly the duped tourists are looking to play a profitable little scam of their own. Lured on by the thought of diamonds on the cheap, or rock bottom prices rubies and the like, otherwise totally sensible and honest people are looking to make a quick killing. Their goal is to take advantage of the “silly natives” buying what they think are real deal gems at impossibly low prices and selling them on in Podunk or wherever it is they come from.

They intend to pay for their fortnight in The Kingdom by getting friends and family back home to buy their precious gems at vastly inflated prices. Just under what they think is their true value, in fact. Nice one fell as, but you will be crying all the way to the police station while the smiling, charming “salesmen” will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Think about it. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Why in heaven's name would a complete stranger walk up to you on the street and offer to take you to a spot where the twinkle in the diamonds is high and the price is low? Do you think its because you look like a nice person? Hardly. Like a bloody stupid person is more like it. Get serious. Get real. There are some good values to be had in gemstones in Thailand, and they can be found in reputable, real Tourism Authority backed shops all over the land. Don't be a dupe or a dope. You get what you pay for in Thailand as anywhere else in the world. Ignore the well-dressed, well-spoken, gentleman with the purse under his arm. He wants to get it filled, with your money.