just back from my Bangkok trip but unfortunately, i got scammed by a bunch of con artists.

here's my story:
my bf and i were looking for our way to Pratunum (bf forgotten how to walk to Pratunum) and we were approached by this old man who seemed nice. he gave us directions to Pratunum and then said that it was Lucky Buddha day and asked us to take a look at the Lucky Buddha temple since it's a public holiday and the shops at Pratunum will only be opened at 12pm. he also said we must walk up to pray to the Golden Buddha.

the old man then hailed a tuk-tuk for us across the street and then told us the return trip will cost not more than 40baht.

after all the praying, the tuk-tuk driver showed us the way to the top of the temple and this man had a friendly chat with us. he also mentioned about Yindee and said that he came all the way from Manila to get jewelleries from Yindee Lapidary so he could sell it back at his country for double the price. he also showed us the receipt from Yindee.

so we were convinced we must take a look at this place and that's where we bought SGD1500 worth of jewellery. i'm glad we didn't buy more.

upon touching down in Singapore, we went to google on Yindee and realised it's a scam! so now my bf and i are finding means of getting back a refund from them.

being ignorance about the value of jewelleries made me and my bf victims in this matter. FYI, the diamonds on the ring and white gold is real (not the jewel). victims who got scammed are overcharged for the items they bought.


my objective for posting this up is to create awareness among podders (if you don't already know) and perhaps, to gather podders who got scam so we could do something to it.

my findings on the internet:
those people who got scammed seeked help from Tourist Police (in Bangkok). these police are well-versed in English and they'd accompany you to the place you got conned to get refunds. you have to request for cash refund as the credit notes they issue will not be processed.

loopholes which me and my bf realised:
actually there are many loopholes in this whole scam but somehow we overlooked it. sighs.
- old man hailed tuk tuk driver across the street but my bf realised the tuk tuk actually U turned to the side of the road where we were.
- tuk tuk driver must be there waiting for the old man's cue because i realised the tuk-tuk was parked on the opposite side of the road and started when we cross the street (we pass off as waitin for business)
- temple was surprisingly empty even when it's supposed to be "Lucky Buddha Day"
- the man we talked to at the temple had over-exaggerated actions which is as if he's acting out.
- the bunch of tourists i saw at the temple were also brought to Yindee but they did not fall victims into the scam.
- the jewellery store was quite empty. if jewelleries could be resell double the price, there should be a crowd.
- tuk-tuk driver was too nice to accompany us for two hours throughout the whole scam.
- tuk-tuk driver dropped us off near our hotel but did not send us to the hotel's entrance.

this is all becos of greed. i had read articles about tuk-tuk drivers bringing you to jewellery shops but missed the part where the jewelleries they sell are way overpriced.

i do not wish anyone to fall victims like me and my bf. the both of us are looking into returning to Bangkok and demand a full refund with the Tourist Police.

any victims who wanna go back to Bangkok regarding this matter can feel free to comment or pm me yah.

thanks for reading..