21 replies to this topic

[lbquest]

A group of 5 or 6 females thieves are pick pocketing on Baht Bus.

I've just been relieved of 3,600bht on a Baht Bus to Jomtien.
The bus was full but room was made for me to squeeze in amongst these girls.
One was fat, the others nondescript. the one that got the money had short hair and carries a large leather bag on her lap.
I wear shorts with zipped pockets............The fat one I would certainly recognise again.
I realised something was not right when these girls left the bus rushed across the road and jumpted on a bus going in the opposite direction.

A friend of mine was caught in the same way several months ago...by group of females and one was fat, so it seems these thieves are longtime operators
Don't know if the driver was involved..
I'll inform Tourist Police, not that it'll do much good.
So guys..watch out

[Terry Tibbs]

Sorry to hear your woes buddy... that sucks.

Was it the same ones as pictured in this post?

Moving this to the Scams and Warnings section.

[lbquest]

Internationalhardman, on Dec 16 2008, 11:46 AM, said:

Sorry to hear your woes buddy... that sucks.

Was it the same ones as pictured in this post?

Moving this to the Scams and Warnings section.

Thank you IT, bloody annoying,
No it's not them..the fat one I really would know again. the rest probably not.
As I said in my earlier post, my friends experience was uncannily similar, fat one Thai with dark "freckles" (i'd forgotten that) and the big handbag on the lap of the dipper..so this has being going on for a long time...he says he was hit early July. He reported it to The Tourist Police in Jomtien at the time..but no interest shown.
But I've got a funny feeling about the driver..nothing concrete

[Landshark]

This is a common story in Patts and I have been reading about LB (and GG) pickpockets on the baht buses ever since I discovered Pattaya and the related forums and news sights. You should watch out whenever a group of ladies sit close to you especially if one is carrying a large bag as you describe. I had an attempt like this made on me one time. The girl had manuvered the pocketbook so it was touching my leg and was using it to disguise her hand reaching for my pocket. I stuck my hands down in my pockets and glared at her to let her know that I knew what she was up to. Her and her friends jumped off the bus right away.

[Blairforce1]

I have heard about this happening on baht buses as well but fortunately have not experienced it - yet!

What did happen to me was a very tall ladyboy appeared out of a door way in broad day light and literally pounced on me! 1 hand went for my balls and grabbed them in a vice like grip while the other went for my wallet, which was kind of difficult as my hand was firmly holding the wallet at the time! While doing this she tried to kiss me and told me "I want suck you cock"! Fortunately I realised what was happening (and the fact that she was ugly as sin helped me to concentrate !) and managed to extricate myself wallet and family jewels intact while still smiling. The last thing I wanted to do was to make a fuss and for all her pals to arrive and beat the shit out of me!!!

When anything dodgy happens to you with Thai's, it's important not to escalate it by becoming aggressive, the best thing to do is to be polite and keep smiling. If you become aggressive, they become mob handed and you are in the shit! If things do get out of hand, just give them the cash and leg it! It's only cash and you live to shag another day!!!

[sabai-sabai]

This happened to me once: I was on a baht bus when 5 or 6 young tweenybopper girls got on. The alarm bells sounded when I noticed ALL of them had large, flat rectangular purses and they all sat in different parts of the bus. The one that sits across from you is what I call the "spotter" and notifies the others in Thai if you look as if you might suspect something. One might try to distract you by small talk or an innocent "grab". I have also heard of older women using small children as a distraction while someone else tries to lift your wallet. If a group of what is obviously friends gets on but tries to sit on either side of you along with a spotter then BEWARE! I have pants that have an inner pocket with a zipper that I secure my wallet in. These people are pros! So stay sober and be alert!
I hope this helps. Cheers to you all.

[macca]

I was once getting a BJ on the beach in Phuket. It all seemed a bit clumsy. My shorts were half-way down my legs and she obviously took my money out of my back pocket while busy using the other hand on me.
Afterwards I looked in my pocket for my cash and it was gone. I accused her and she accused me. Shows you just can't be too careful. Lucky it was only $15.

[koykaeng]

This is what happened to me in early April 2009;

Jumped on a Baht Bus last night around 10pm at the intersection of Soi Buakhow & Soi Diana heading towards South Pattaya Road. Whilst heading along South Pattaya Road, just after passing Tops Supermarket, a group comprising three ladies and a ladyboy boarded the bus. The three ladies sat opposite me, and the ladyboy sat beside me. The ladyboy had short hair, pretty terrible complexion, and infact the entire group looked disheveled and dirty. I recall briefly adjusting my position on the seat as this ladyboy had sat extremely close to me, but didn’t really think any further about it.

When the Baht Bus reached Pattaya Second Road, I pushed the buzzer and disembarked, paying the driver with a 10 Baht coin I had in my pants pocket. I started to walk along Pattaya 2nd Road, with the intention of meeting some folks at Ezy Bar and instinctively reached down to check my wallet that I keep in a buttoned side pocket in my cargo shorts, only to find it was gone.

As panic immediately set in, I turned around and sprinted back to the Baht Bus, which was still stationary at the intersection, waiting for the lights to change. I jumped onboard, and yelled at the Ladyboy to give me back my wallet, which she placed on the seat where I’d been sitting, attempting to make out I’d left it there. I picked up the wallet, checked that the contents were intact, and jumped back off.

The adrenalin rush while all this was unfolding was incredible, and the thought of pursuing things further with police didn’t even register until I’d made it to Ezy Bar and had a chance to review what had just unfolded.

Whilst I can’t believe how lucky I was to retrieve my wallet, it’s worth noting that all my credit cards & cash reserves were secure in my hotel rooms safety box, so the worst case scenario would have been losing about 4000 Baht, a single debit card, a drivers license and a handful of membership cards.

Before I started to document this event, I “Googled” Baht Bus Pickpockets, and found a number of relevant articles on the topic. This particular gang is well known to police in Pattaya, and despite being caught on multiple occasions, continue to operate. Have attached a photo I found on the internet which features part of the gang that attempted to steal my wallet.

In summary, I can only re-iterate the need to be extremely cautious when out and about in Pattaya, and avoid carrying around excessive amounts of cash, and credit cards.

Finally, don’t think it can’t happen to you !

Cheers
Koykaeng

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[jcs]

I think the morale of the story here is not to take a wallet with you when out on the lash!!! or when generally walking around.

I take out between 4-6 thousand Bht and divide it between a couple of pockets, that way if something goes missing or is lost you have backup cash.

[koykaeng]

jcs, on 18 August 2009 - 03:08 PM, said:

I think the morale of the story here is not to take a wallet with you when out on the lash!!! or when generally walking around.

I take out between 4-6 thousand Bht and divide it between a couple of pockets, that way if something goes missing or is lost you have backup cash.

A few board members offered similar advice at the time, however I'm not totally sold on carrying around loose bank notes in my pocket.

Having to pull out a bundle of notes every time I pay for something is not ideal either.

As I explained in my post, all of my credit cards and cash reserves were secure in my hotel room safety box, so even if I hadn't been lucky enough to retrieve my wallet, the loss wouldn't have impacted on my trip whatsoever.

Keep in mind that this is a professional pick pocket gang that spends each & every day targetting unsuspecting tourists and farang residents. Funnily enough I spotted them again days later getting on & off baht buses, looking for their next victim.

They are extremely skilled at their job, and have no problem unfastening a couple of buttons to get access to a wallet.

Cheers
Koykaeng

[hansum10]

For myself, I do not like the loose cash split around a few pockets. If anything, I feel I am as likely to lose some falling out or make me a target being seen fumbling around.

I use a money clip or regular wallet with just bar money in small bills and a Loop wallet for larger bills, a card if needed, and papers. The Loop (or loops) go around belt, zippered shut, and tucked into your pants. The loops are not noticeable if you wear your shirts un-tucked. Buldging should not be an issue unless you go overboard with the contents. Way better and more comfortable than the neck or belly pouches.

A good looking one with nice photos of usage and detail:
Loop wallet 1




One I currently use that is a bit bigger than the one above:
Eagle Creek Loop Wallet



Also, I have not done this myself, but as another tip a one friend suggests having a tailor very cheaply add hidden pockets or pouches inside your pants /shorts. I suppose a good tailor could make a loop wallet to your specifications as well. (Hey, might be an idea you a few extra baht by getting a dozen made and reselling them)

[hothot]

me i lost 11'000 baht in 1.2009 bahtbus 2.road to tops,steel my wallet and i feel nothing,incredible!

[LWFM]

hothot, on 13 February 2010 - 07:20 PM, said:

me i lost 11'000 baht in 1.2009 bahtbus 2.road to tops,steel my wallet and i feel nothing,incredible!

Me to ... did not know either. Professional thieves ... cunning little fuckers. Should put them away and turn them all into Ladyboys and give the victims their as punishment But only the pretty ones

[Mikkel]

I use this one for my 6 last years and never had any problems. And I never get THAT drunk so I always have some control. Now I can see its time to buy a new one..

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•  Mappe.BMP   1.37MB   158 downloads

[LB Lovin Cowboy]

I travel a lot and agree with a lot of the good information being shared here. I will add a few things I have learned over the years.

• When not wearing sandals I always keep enough money to get me out of a jam under the inner sole of my shoe (i.e. money to get out of sticky situation with Police, or if I’m robber or mugged enough to get me home and something to eat). I have luckily never needed it accept for the one Time in San Paulo when I met this really hot Tranny and ended up back at her place and at about 3am her friend shows up and is a major internet star I have seen many times and wants to join in. Dumb ass me is all for it and the next afternoon as I’m getting ready to leave I get hit with the bill and I was no where close to having it (as I should have asked up front) plus money to get back to my hotel. So I dug into my stash and left with a smile on my face because it was worth every penny even if I couldn’t sit down for about a week LOL.
• I never carry a wallet in a foreign country, a copy of my passport has always been good enough and everywhere I have ever been CASH IS KING.
• For cash I want to get my hands on immediately I separate it into 2 different amounts and place one in each front pocket. It is much more difficult to steal money out of your front pocket not to mention it is not the first place they would normally go for. I only keep enough in my front pockets to pay for what ever I’m doing at the moment (example 1000baht to 2000baht for a bar bill or something to eat or bar fine what ever).
• I wear 5.11 Shirts or those like them as much as possible. These shirts can look pretty good (in my opinion) and they are equipped with several hidden pockets that if you don’t know they are there then it is unlikely you would know where to try to go after me, also most of the hidden pockets are Velcro closures so no one is getting in there without you knowing about it. I will carry my cell phone and IPod and in my chest pockets which make them very easy to get to and also very hard to steal. I carry the vast majority of my money in the hidden pockets within the shit. Then when if I need to get to it because I ran low on what I had in my pockets or I’m getting ready to go to another place and start again and need to replenish my pocket money or if I know I’m about to spend more than I have in my pocket on something (like a really hot LB LOL) then I just excuse my self to the bathroom and retrieve some cash from my shirt.

These are just what works for me so far. But as I have never been to the LOS I could be way off base with the way things work there.

[Fie dollah]

5.11 shirt ??
never herd of one ?
care to share

5$

[American Eagle]

5$ I looked it up on google, why didn't you think about that? Do I have to do everything for you?

Here's the link to their webstore: 511 tactical

[LB Lovin Cowboy]

OK I’m going to attempt to attach a few of photos of the type of 5.11 shirts I will be wearing in Pattaya (and I use at work).

The first two are from their covert line, and I like them very much for hot weather wear as they breathe really well and provide a good amount of storage space. They also have built in break away point to allow you easy access to your side arm (not that you will be carrying one in Pattaya LOL), which may not be to your liking if you are only wearing them for casual wear.

The third picture is of the tactical short sleeve shirt they sell it is made of a heavy material, does not breath as well but it is still very comfortable to wear in both Iraq and Afghanistan in the middle of summer so I think there will be no issues in Thailand as far as the heat goes. They have an incredible amount of hidden storage space.

A few of the things I can say for these shirt (and their pants and shorts as well) is that they are extremely durable and last for years. I have had some of these that have been in my closet sense 2003 and I pretty much wear them every day in my job and put them through the ringer, they are washed in a US military laundry (and we all know how delicate they can be on your cloths LOL). Further I am a large guy at 6ft 250pounds and these shirts fit me great as they are made to hide everything you are carrying on you underneath. As you can tell I’m very partial to this brand of clothing, but one of my biggest reasons is that I get so many benefits from their shirts while they look as nice as many casual shirts from other manufactures that are made from cheaper materials, and they cost me the same or less as other name brand shirt do.

I hope this helped out and the pictures came through. If you decide to buy one or more of these I recommend you do not purchase from the 5.11 site directly unless their item is on close out as it is to expensive. You can go to Google or what ever search engine you prefer and put in something like 5.11 closeouts or sales or what ever works for you and it will almost always pull up a bunch of retailers who have excess stock of one shirt or another and just look for your size and color choice. If none are available look again in about a week.

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Edited by LB Lovin Cowboy, 13 April 2010 - 07:49 AM.

[agedbuttgood]

Hey guys, let me give soom observasions of what I used to wear whenI was bar hopping and whore mongering in the far east in my younger days.
I always wore a camp type shirt (two button down pockets in the front) short sleeves for summer and long for winter. One pocket for smokes
and the other for money, the money pocket was always buttoned. Extra money was kept in my sock on the inside ankle portion. It seemed to work OK.

Cheers aged;

[ArthurDent]

on my first trip i used one of those loopwallets with a belt ... i felt that it was to uncomfortable ... so i chose to take more care than using the loop wallet
and since i do not drink alcohol ...

on the baht bus and when walking in crowded areas (ie WS) i always keep a hand on my wallet!!!
else i check my wallet very often, specialy if someone unknown comes close to me ...
and i never have more than like 4000baht with me, no passport, no creditcard or anything else importand.

if i exactly know what i am going to spend (ie going to eat) i only take 200 or 500 baht with me ...
only what is needed for the planned event ...

if i change money i go straight to the exchange and straight back to the room, with open eyes and a hand on my wallet ...

never have any *bling bling* or show off ...