Business Scams In Pattaya

My name is John. I am a 65 year old American. I had the opportunity to visit Thailand for the first time in the spring of 2016. I had recently broken up with my girlfriend of five years. My friend and his wife asked me if I would like to join them on a trip to Malaysia but first with a stopover for four or five days in Thailand. I was reluctant at first, but later I decided to go ahead and join them. This would be my first trip to Thailand.

We arrived in Phuket, and on the first night, my friend was feeling sick. So his wife and I decided that we would go out to Bangla Road and view the scenery. We stopped at a few bars and then headed down to one of the small sois. We stopped at a bar, and I met what I thought was the most beautiful lady I had ever seen. Her name was Arm. She spoke decent English, and she was 31 years old. Arm thought my friend’s wife was actually my wife, so she kept a distance. I told her I would come back the next day with my friend and his wife, as the next day was my friend’s birthday.

The next night we all went back to the bar, and I met Arm once again. Now she was convinced I was single, and she warmed up quite a bit. She told me she had a five year old son and she was from Isan and was working at the bar as a manager to support her family. She said she rarely went out with customers. Needless to say, at the end of the night, she asked me if she could come back with me. I agreed, and we went back to my hotel. We talked for most of the night before having some romance and falling asleep together. We parted ways in the morning, and the following two nights I did not go out with her again because my friends and I did some sightseeing.

On the last night in Phuket, I went back to the bar and met Arm again. At closing, she once again came back to my hotel. She asked if I could take her to Malaysia with me as she was feeling something special between us. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to take her along, as my friend’s wife was meeting her in Malaysia.

After a week in Malaysia, I headed back to America. Arm contacted me on Facebook, and we struck up conversations a few times a week. Being that I actually had feelings for her, I sent her 10,000 baht that she asked me for to help her move back to Bangkok and at some point to go to makeup school, as she was tired of working at the bar.

Makeup School And Growing Feelings

Three months later, I made plans to go back to Thailand alone, as she told me she would take me to Isan and see “unseen Thailand” as she called it. Upon my arrival in Bangkok, she met me at the airport and we went back to my hotel. She was looking as beautiful as ever. The next day we went back and signed up for her makeup school. I believe it was about 35,000 baht. I didn’t mind giving her the money because I thought it would help her by keeping her out of the bars and trying to do something better with her life.

The following day, we flew to Chiang Mai. She had a friend there who acted as our driver so that we could just sit back and relax and view the scenery. We went to Chiang Mai, up to the mountains, and had a great time together. After this trip, I was falling in love with her like a crazy old fool.

I returned home once again and went back to work to save up money for my next trip to Thailand. By this time, we were considering ourselves as boyfriend and girlfriend. She had started makeup training, of which I paid the school 35,000 baht. Well, it only took six weeks until she got bored, and it was decided it’s not really what she wanted to do. I continued supporting her with monthly payments of 20,000 baht to help her and her Isan family. I was hoping that she would turn her life around. She had moved into her girlfriend’s apartment in Bangkok, whom she went to high school with, so the money I was sending her went to help with rent, food, and general living expenses.

A Business Partner Appears

In November 2016, again I went back to see Arm. I booked into a nice hotel. When I arrived, I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel, and Arm met me there with one of her good friends named Jip. I planned a trip to Chiang Rai the next day. So that evening we went out for dinner with Jip. Jip owned her own business and seemed quite successful by the way she carried herself and dressed. We had a great dinner and went out for a few drinks. The conversation turned to Jip’s business, which I enjoyed talking to her about.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes. Arm and I had a morning flight and wanted to get some rest. Jip mentioned that she would be in Chiang Rai in a few days and asked if we would mind if she joined us. We said of course not. She met us a few days later, and we had a great time camping and hiking.

At the end of the trip, we headed to the airport. At the airport, Jip wanted to know if Arm and I would like to become partners in her business to try to expand it. We said we’d have a think about it and let her know. We headed back to Bangkok.

I wasn’t attracted to Jip, but things between Arm and I were unraveling. During our last week together in Bangkok, I noticed when we would go out, Arm would drink and smoke excessively and then sleep until about 500 p.m. every day. I was left to fend for myself walking around Bangkok until she decided to wake up and join me for dinner. Needless to say, at the end of the week, I was quite fed up with her. I headed back home to the States once again.

The Pregnancy Shocker

When I got back home, we chatted via Messenger, and I explained to her that I wasn’t happy about what had happened and that I wasn’t planning on returning to see her anymore. Of course, she wasn’t happy about this and flew into a rage over the messages. Things were quite quiet for about a month until Arm messaged me telling me that she was pregnant.

I found this a little hard to believe because ten years earlier I had prostate cancer and had seed implant surgery to kill the cancer. As I explained earlier, I had a steady girlfriend for five years, and we never used protection and she never got pregnant. So I assumed that I could not have children. Also, before my surgery, the doctor asked me if I wanted to harvest my sperm in case I wanted to have children in the future. I laughed and said, “I’m 55 years old, I’m not planning on having any more children.” This gave me the impression that I would not be able to conceive anymore. So I was shocked to hear that Arm was pregnant.

I did not contact Arm for nearly three weeks as I went back to the doctor who performed the surgery, and he recommended that I take a test which will show if there’s a sperm count or not. Well, to my surprise, there was. The count was very low, but the possibility of me conceiving a child was there.

Two months later, I traveled back to Thailand once again to make a blood test. Sure enough, it was determined that I was going to be the father of the baby.

Marriage Business And Court Case

I was close to retirement, so I made a decision to marry Arm at some point in the future, trying to make the pending marriage work and also to assure the baby would become an American citizen. I wanted to give the baby better opportunities in life than she would have had in Thailand, that is, if the baby decided to do so when the baby was of age.

In the meantime, though, Arm and I contacted Jip about the partnership proposal that she’d spoken with us about. Jip sent me all her company finances to look over, and I also had the CFO of my company check them as well. Everything looked fine, although I wasn’t exactly sure of the Thai business laws. I came back to Thailand, invested 2 million baht in the business, and had a traditional Thai marriage shortly before the baby was born, then a court marriage a few months after the baby was born. As I stated earlier, I gathered all the documents necessary and went to the US Embassy to confirm my child as a US citizen.

During this time, Jip was supposedly running the business as I was still working in the US and traveling back and forth to Thailand. It turns out that Jip was actually a professional scammer. On several occasions, I asked her to see the balance sheet of the company, and she would send it to me, but it was all fake. I went to the bank where the company’s account was set up, and there was no account under our name but rather under another name. She was also having customers pay cash in advance for products and having the customers send money to her mother’s bank account.

So to make a long story short my marriage to Arm failed, although we have had a wonderful child together. Trying to partner in business failed because of a scammer. I did sue Jip in court and won my case because of all the forged documents and customer testimony in court. To this day, I haven’t received any compensation as Jip played the court system very well, first losing the criminal case and then losing her appeal. Now, she is in jail having to serve a 15 month sentence.

I really wanted to have a future in Thailand, accepting responsibility for my child, even trying to make the marriage work, though I knew it would be a challenge. The only advice I could give anyone is to be careful. I don’t blame anyone but myself for all of these issues and problems that have occurred. I’ve met some very fine Thai people, but I have also seen the opposite side of the spectrum here in Thailand. It goes to say that there are good and bad everywhere in this world.

Airline Veteran Thailand Lessons

I am now 77. I have worked with an airline company for most of my working life, therefore I get to fly free. I have traveled to six continents in about 34 countries. Believe it or not, I have visited Thailand 108 times so far since 1978.

Although most of the countries that I have visited around the world are very nice, in my opinion Thailand is the best due to these reasons

95% of Thai people are nice, honest, fair, and straightforward.

Thailand has some of the best sightseeing destinations, great cities, temples, islands, and beaches.

If you do your research, Thailand is still very cheap for accommodation, transportation, shopping, and eating.

Thailand Safety And Travel Tips

Thailand generally is a very safe country to travel to. Personally, I have visited many cities, islands, and beaches and have never come across any problems. Several times I have mislaid cameras, laptops, and bags, and I’ve always had them returned to me.

My number one tip for any single guy going to Thailand for the first time, whether it’s once or several times, keep all friendships with the ladies on a temporary basis. Thailand really is the Land of Smiles. And if I had to try and say something negative about Thailand, it would be the language barrier, which is our fault for not learning the language, not the Thais.

Retired Community In Pattaya

my story is about Pattaya, but not what you’d expect. I was thirty when I went to Pattaya in 2018 and went with the intention of partying, soaking up the sun, and partying some more. But instead, I ended up meeting an older British couple who introduced me to a different side of Pattaya, one where I met dozens of retired or semi retired people from all walks of life who either live, work, or holiday there because of the community that they are part of. I couldn’t believe I would find such a group of warm, welcoming, and fun people, who were equally shocked a young man like me wanted to hang out with ‘old geezers’, as they said.

(

Of course, I partied, met plenty of girls, and had tons of fun, but the moments that stick with me are of people in the twilight years telling me stories of times past, friends gone, and advice they have given me.

The 7 Eleven Girl

My name is Rick. I wanted to share this story with readers. My story starts in Bangkok in 1999 when I was 28. Back then, without wanting to bore everyone with the details of how I ended up in Thailand, I will keep it short and just tell you that I ended up teaching in Bangkok. And although my salary was very low at the time, around 12,000 baht per month, I had a room that cost me just 1,500 baht a month located on Sukhumvit Soi 100. I ate on the street very, very cheaply, and apart from the odd beer from 7 Eleven, I did not drink. I certainly could not afford to hit the bars. And in case you were wondering, no, I didn’t smoke either.

Back then, I did not care that I was just about scraping by on my very low budget, as I was just happy to be in Thailand. I met many people who became special friends and often would take me with them on trips. I still have fantastic memories that I will never forget.

Anyway, back to my story. After about six months of teaching in Bangkok, I met a girl in a 7 Eleven that was located close to my room. Her name was New. I later found out that she was 24. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I used to attract quite a bit of attention from the girls back then as I was young and fairly fit looking for my age. I must also tell you now that yes, I was very naive back then, and I used to just see the best in everyone.

New and I decided to leave the 7 Eleven and sit down at some food carts, have a soft drink, and get to know each other. New told me that she was from a small village in Isan, came to Bangkok to get a job, and sent money for her family. She told me that she often works in the afternoon part time but was looking for something better. She did not elaborate on her work, and I never asked her anything else about it at that time. The pair of us just seemed to click, and we got on great. I explained that I was a teacher and that I did not make lots of money, so I was living a very basic life in Bangkok. New told me that she did not care and just wanted to spend time with me as we got on so well.

Moving In Together

Over the next few weeks, we met up more and more. The kinds of dates we went on, we visited temples, markets, sometimes we went to the cinema, or we would just go to a local food court and stretch the meal out for the sake of the day. New would often come back to my room. Back then, I did not understand the Thai culture and just thought that if a guy and a girl like each other, then for sure they will end up in a room together alone, like in the West.

New told me that she was living in a room with a girlfriend not so far from my room (and that explains why we met in the 7 Eleven). But she went on to tell me that it was very small and she did not like the fact that her roommate smoked. Eventually, the subject of New moving in with me came up. We really liked each other, and it made perfect sense financially for both of us. When New came to visit, she would always insist on washing my clothes, cleaning my room, and just came across as a decent, honest girl. We discussed this subject at length, and New went on to tell me that if her family lived in Bangkok, she could not even consider being alone in my room let alone moving in with me.

Both New and I had a small budget, so it was decided that New would give her friend notice, pack up her things, and move in with me. I was really happy about this, I had this beautiful Asian girl living with me. What more could a guy want, right?

The Routine And Red Flags

At this point in the story, after New had moved in, nothing too dramatic or eventful happened. In fact, everything became routine. I would go off to teach in the morning. Most days, New stayed home and took care of the room. I finished mid afternoon, and we would go out most days to eat at some local food carts, which were incredibly cheap.

New would sometimes go off for several days, and sometimes for up to a week. When I questioned her about this, she explained that she had to take the bus back to Isan to visit her mother who was not 100% well, which I thought no more of at the time. New would also go out to work some afternoons. What I found strange is that the days she worked were not consistent. That is to say, one week it could be a Monday and a Tuesday; the next week it could be four days out of five. She would also disappear in the afternoons at the weekend sometimes. Again, while I thought this was a bit weird, I did not push the subject.

Apart from all of this, we were still getting on really well, and I thought no more of it. New would even sometimes pay for a bag of shopping or she would buy the tickets for the cinema, which I thought was great at the time because it took the strain out of my budget.

The Fateful Night At The English Pub

At some point around this time, an older friend who I had met in Bangkok a few months earlier called me to catch up and invited me out for a beer. He was a good friend who had shown me around and introduced me to several other people. I explained that I now had a living girlfriend and would he mind if I brought her along. “Of course,” he said, “no problem.” We arranged to meet up around 800 p.m. in an English themed pub along Sukhumvit, not far from Soi 22. I can’t remember the name of it now.

New was reluctant to come with me and kept saying, “No, no, you go off and enjoy your time with your friend. I’ll be fine watching the TV.” Eventually, and a little reluctantly, she agreed to come out with me.

When we arrived at the English pub, my friend was already inside. But before I had time to introduce New, my friend smiled at her and said, “Bun, how are you? What a surprise.” I nearly fell over. I said to my friend, “No, this is my girlfriend New. We have been together for several months. She lives with me.” My friend told me that he must have made a mistake, and we all sat down and ordered some drinks.

I don’t know what it was, but you know when you get that sixth sense that something is not right? Well, you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. New kept very, very quiet, and my friend looked uncomfortable. After about 45 minutes, New excused herself and got up to go to the toilet. That’s when my friend said, “Look, we gotta talk.” I said, “What’s up? Tell me now.” To which he replied, “No, call me tomorrow when you’re alone.”

I thought this was really strange but agreed to call him the next day.

The Devastating Truth

The next day, I called my friend, who said to me, “Look, this is going to upset you, but I gotta tell you, or I couldn’t live with myself.” Now he’s really got me wondering. I said, “What? Tell me. Come on, tell me now.”

He went on to tell me that he has had relations with New several times and paid her for her services each time. He also went on to tell me that several of his friends have also used the services that New offered, for a price.

I said, “No, you gotta be mistaken. She is with me every night. She’s my live in girlfriend. She never goes out on her own.”

That’s when the penny dropped. My friend said, “No, she’s always come and visited me in the afternoon at my apartment. I just text her, she comes around, spends a few hours with me, I’ll give her 1,000 baht, and she leaves.”

To say that I was devastated is an understatement. I won’t go into what happened next between me and New. Needless to say that we have never spoken with each other from that day to this. I later found out that New would visit lots of men in the afternoon. She had quite a following who would call her on a regular basis. I also found out that she was not going to visit her mother in Isan but would be taken to Phuket or Chiang Mai or Samui by one of her customers, and that is the real reason she would disappear for up to a week.

To end, yes, I was torn apart. And until this day, I don’t think I am the same guy that I was when I was with New. Even with a terrible ending to this story and the month of torment that followed, I still don’t regret my time with New. I had the best time of my life, and she was wonderful. It’s just a pity that I was sharing her with others. Today, I have no ill feeling towards New, but I have grown up pretty fast mentally after this experience.