Pattaya Jet Ski Scam
This scam occurs in Pattaya at about 4pm when the owners of the jet skis will no longer find any more customers. The stage is now set. Jet skis which you rented for about 400 baht for a half hour ride, will end up costing a lot more by the end of this scam.
The owner of jet ski will claim that you dented and messed up their jet ski(s), and ask you to pay a fee for the damages, usually 5 to 10 thousand baht. They will claim that you and your friend collided and caused a scratch, dent or some other kind of damage. They will hassle you until you pay for the damages, they will push and shove you back onto the beach if you try to run away and even claim to be in the Thai mafia.
The jet ski scam occurs at several locations around Thailand, but most notably in Pattaya and Phuket. Most operators are honest but beware, this scam has happened to a lot of unsuspecting tourists.
Below is a video from YouTube where this scam is exposed.
httpv://youtu.be/zsPuoaktoAw
I wish I saw this just before I get into the same problem.
I’m sorry you have gotten mixed up in this scam. Sadly a lot of people do. And also it was too bad thatyou had no warning about this.
Thailand is really a great travel destination and it makes me angry that these thugs are allowed to continue doing this.
The best we can do at the moment is try to expose it to as many people as possible so they don’t fall victim to this scam.
Thank you for your comment Majid and I hope that this haven’t tarnished your view on Thailand.
Today, 30th Sept 2011, at 5pm witnessed the same Jet Ski scam taking place on Pattaya Beach. This was near Mike Shopping Mall, opposite Beach Road soi 12.
A group of Indian tourists were targeted this evening. One Jet Ski was accused of being damaged. Of course it was there before, this scam occurs every single day with the same gang of Jet Ski operators. Any intervention by passers by would be met with threats, and then violence. There is nothing you can do to help these guys. The four Indian tourists were literally begging, pleading, and were in a pretty bad state. The gang of Thai’s nearby that were part of the scam were laughing, drinking beer, playing with their kids (who were also asking passers by if they wanted to rent a Jet Ski) and pointing at their marks mocking them.
I see that last week (reported 24th Sept 2011 on PattayaOne website, Pattaya Mail website, and other online Pattaya news sites) that five Jet Ski scammers were arrested for attempting to extort a couple of Saudi Arabia tourists, and followed the tourists to the Marriott Resort & Spa in Pattaya. The police were called, arrests were made.
So, literally a few days later, the scams are continuing on Beach Road. Nothing has changed! NOTHING! The same scammers I’ve seen for months and months are exorting sums of money any between 40,000 to 80,000 baht.
Also closer to Walking Street entrance on Beach Road, opposite soi 13/4 and near there, the same gang of Thai scammers are there every day. They’re also continuing to extort tourists.
They often target the marks around 5pm-5:30pm, as it’s getting dark. There are more of the gangs keeping an eye on people taking photos than I’ve seen before. These gangs are well organised, in that they have around 10 Thai’s ready waiting to add to the threats if there extortion demands are not met.
So, arrests of Thai Jet Ski scammers has had absolutely no impact whatsoever on them continuing ‘business as usual’. It’s disgraceful. Same thugs operating for months and months, and none of them locked up and told not to return. Welcome to Pattaya.
I wonder if we’ll see the international Press taking an interest in this. All they have to do is turn up on any day on the Beach Road, outside Mike Shopping Mall, Royal Garden Plaza, or near to the entrance to Walking Street. Around 5pm, they can witness extortion, threats to tourists, the Jet Ski scam, and maybe if enough people talk about it and report it around the world, it may even stop. Mind you, it has been going for years, and the same criminals are still operating. To get them started, all they need to Google is Pattaya Jet Ski Scam. There’s even a few video clips on YouTube of the scam unfolding.
Thanks from the input Eddy. Yes unfortunately it’s going on every day. We warn all visitors going there about this. But unfortunately every day some unsuspecting people fall victim to the scam and get their holiday memories of Thailand tainted.