An extortion ring ensnaring travellers at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is today exposed by The Sunday Times.
Bent King Power cashiers have long been suspected of slipping extra items into customers’ bags at the duty free checkout. Their victims are then falsely accused of shoplifting and detained by corrupt police. The Times now reports that British couple, Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin, were forced to pay £8,000 to secure their release.
The airport extortion gang has been operating for months but, because of police involvement and official indifference, its victims can only write to the newspapers.
Previously, the gang targeted only Asian travellers. I guess they were worried that Western victims might cause a fuss in the foreign press – quite correctly, as it turns out. Xi Lin’s British nationality probably took them by surprise.
We might hope for some action from the Thai authorities but, when you consider that the perpetrators of the notorious Thai gem scam have been conning tourists with impunity for over 20 years, I think it’s safe to assume that the Bangkok airport extortion racket won’t be broken up any time soon.
In the meantime, boycotting King Power Duty Free would probably be an overreaction but sensible travellers should always refuse “free gifts” from King Power employees and take care to check their bags for planted items before leaving the store.
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“In the meantime, boycotting King Power Duty Free would probably be an overreaction but sensible travellers should always refuse “free gifts” from King Power employees and take care to check their bags for planted items before leaving the store.”
Are you on crack?
All people should avoid King Power and for that matter, all DF shops in BKK. Not only that, how about writing to King Power’s web site that unless they see some of their employees being charged and prosecuted, you will avoid their stores, even the ones in SIN.
This year, I am skipping the LOS in my vacation. Land of Scams.