Pattaya Tourist Police arrest suspected Jet Ski scammers
Pattaya Tourist Police arrested 5 Jet Ski Operators early on Saturday Morning, accused of attempting to extort money from two tourists from Saudi Arabia who had earlier hired Jet Skis from the operators on Pattaya Beach.
The two tourists were confronted by the operators after they arrived back to shore and they claimed that damage had been caused and they should pay for the damage in what has been described as a classic case of a Pattaya Jet Ski Scam.
Read more: Pattaya One
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 on PattayaOne 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.