Tourist Police Advise Travelers to be Aware Of Thai Scams

(CTN News) – According to Spiderman’s uncle, “Tremendous tourism also means great scalability.” We may be paraphrasing a little, but the tourist police in Thailand are warning that maybe unwelcome fraudsters are also returning to prey on new foreign victims as foreign visitors are streaming into the nation once again.

To monitor important tourist destinations and popular provinces for international visitors, the commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau claims that police presence is being increased with the addition of more bicycle, motorbike, and automobile patrols.

According to the Bangkok Post, they collaborate with immigration officials and local police officers to warn tourists about possible fraud.

When foreign visitors arrived at the airports and other well-known tourist destinations around the nation, the Tourist Police Bureau had up warning notices for them.

Additionally, they ask any travelers who encounter difficulties to phone the Emergency Response Centre at (855) 1155. English, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, and Japanese-speaking operators are available.

Authorities also advise visiting foreign visitors to use a helpful safety smartphone app introduced last year to get 24-hour emergency assistance.

An update is being made to the strangely titled “Tourist Police I Let U” app, and it will also get a much-needed rebranding to “Thailand Tourist Police.”

A news release from earlier this year provides an explanation of how the app may link a traveler needing assistance.

I Let U is a free app that can be downloaded for Android and iOS devices from Google Play and the App Store, respectively.

The app is connected to the Tourist Police 1155 Emergency Response Centre, where interpreters and translators can help foreign tourists in their native tongues.

The Tourist Police may be contacted using the app at any time, around the clock, and officers will be sent to the area immediately if a tourist needs assistance.

Additionally, visitors may post a snapshot of the incident to the app to request help.

A data center is opening at Suvarnabhumi Airport to combine data from the tourist police with that from the police force as they advance their technology.

With body cameras and cameras that recognize license plates installed on patrol vehicles, police on the street will also benefit from technological advancements.

A method to exchange surveillance video across 33 tourist police stations is also being developed.

However, the tourism police emphasize that Thailand’s foreign visitors are generally secure. Most crimes committed against foreigners entail deceiving them to take their tourist money.

In Bangkok, tuk-tuk and taxi drivers would wait outside tourist destinations and inform tourists that they are closed to steer them into expensive gift stores where they will get a fee.

Others are duped by jewelry stores that sell phony diamonds or tailors who offer imitation clothing made of inferior materials.

Police have issued warnings in Phuket and Koh Samui that drug users or criminals may perform more blatant thefts or violent crimes.

Of course, ladyboys often steal gold necklaces in Pattaya, but not always from Indian visitors. This crime has been so often reported that it has become a popular cliche in online comments.

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