Lesson Learned

[firecat69]

I have been visiting Thailand for the better part of 20 years. The last 7 or 8 years my time in LOS has averaged 6 out of 12 months.

 

In that time I have not had 1 baht stolen from me. In fact I have had money returned by laundry ladies and cleaning ladies. During those visits I have been careful to put all my cash in the safe whenever I had boys over and make sure other valuables were hidden.

 

Well today after more boys then I would like to admit to, I got burned. I usually put my Iphone on the table so I can hear the ring and I am very careful to check that it is there before the boy leaves the room. There are a few times I even put it in the safe if I was not sure about the boy.

 

Today was a 3rd visit by a boy from Gayromeo. I never gave him a 2nd thought but as usual put all my money in the safe.

When it was time for him to go, I purposely looked at the table where my phone was and all was ok

 

5 minutes after the boy left I went to send an sms from my phone. Pushed the button and a screen I did not recognize came up.

 

I knew immediately he had replaced my Iphone with an identical clone worth next to nothing and I was out of luck.

 

Moral of the story, lock everything you can up and hide the rest. This will not change my opinion of Thailand or the Thai people. It will not change my mind about Gayromeo. True I don't have a bar to go back to for complaint but I still have about a 99% success rate with boys from there and at less then 1/2 the price most bars cost me. As you can tell from my "Fist Day in Pattaya " posts , I hire boys from bars and gayromeo but the percentages are changing in favor of Gayromeo.

 

It will make me more careful with ALL things of value and maybe it will save one of you from getting burned.

 

Lock it Up and hide the rest!!!!!

[Gaybutton]

It will make me more careful with ALL things of value and maybe it will save one of you from getting burned.

 

Lock it Up and hide the rest!!!!!

I've used this quote before and now I'll repeat it:

 

Mallory: "You don't trust anyone, do you?"

Stavros: "That is why I have lived so long."

- Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn, 'The Guns of Navarone'

 

I'm sorry that happened. For years I have been trying to convince people not to leave anything of value where it can be a temptation. Sooner or later it will be gone and people become especially vulnerable once a boy gains their trust.

 

I'm sorry that you had to learn the hard way, but many of us have been there, believe me. At least you didn't lose something that can't be replaced.

 

That boy must have come with the intention of stealing your phone. If he came with a look-alike and pulled the old switcheroo, then he must have known what kind of phone you have, what it looked like, and was sure he would be able to have access to it since he clearly prepared in advance to steal it. I'm surprised he was that clever. In a negative way, I almost have to admire his ingenuity.

 

Don't tell us his Gay Romeo user name. I think it's better not to know. That way, people are likely to be much more cautious if they meet a boy and have to wonder 'was he the one?'

[Guest RichLB]

I'm confused. If the boy replaced your phone with an identical one, wouldn't the replacement phone have the same resale value as yours? I don't see the sense in stealing a phone and replacing it with one of equal value. If you got a screen you didn't recognize, the replacement phone worked, so it wasn't broken. Is it possible he just put his phone on the same nightstand you put yours and picked up the wrong phone?

[firecat69]

Is it possible he just put his phone on the same nightstand you put yours and picked up the wrong phone?

I f you read my post carefully, you will see I said he replaced with an identical clone that is worthless. Looks the same on the outside but is a piece of junk inside!!!!!!

[Guest RichLB]

Ok, I believe you, but can you help us technodolts figure out how anyone can tell that a functioning telephone's inards are junk if it works on the outside? I'm sure you're right, but how can you tell?

[firecat69]

Ok, I believe you, but can you help us technodolts figure out how anyone can tell that a functioning telephone's inards are junk if it works on the outside? I'm sure you're right, but how can you tell?

 

Think of an HD Plasma TV by Sony at $3000 and then you turn it on and all you get is a Black and white picture and very grainy worth about $100.

 

In other words, the package looks like the real thing but once you turn it on it does not do all the things that the real HD TV does.

 

Hard to explain if you don't understand the total package that an Apple IPhone represents.

[Rogie]

...with an identical clone that is worthless. Looks the same on the outside but is a piece of junk inside!!!!!!

 

Sorry to hear about your phone firecat.

 

Maybe I am a technodolt too (nice word Rich - did you make that up or is it in the dictionary?) but I am still not seeing why, if these replicas are junk, why anybody would pay anything, even 500 baht, for one. The only two explantations I can think of are:

(i) like firecat's thief he gets one with the intention of doing a swap

(ii) the lookalike phone is bought purely for show

Is there any danger that a farang technodolt like me can be sold one of these, at the full price,(when he thinks he's getting the real McCoy)in Thailand or anywhere else?

[Guest]

There are all sorts of phones that might look like an I-phone from a distance.

Then a broken I-phone is a useful substitute.

 

So what is his Gayromeo usename? Name & shame. For all we know he works in a Sunee bar?

 

As for the safe....

Opening a safe

[firecat69]

I fail to see what is so difficult to understand here. A copy ,a clone, a fake. Have you never bought such a thing in Thailand.

 

Have you never been to Patpong market and bought or seen a Tag Heur watch or another famous brand. Perfect copies that even the real stores cannot tell the difference, unless they remove the back. Maybe loses or gains 5 minutes per day or only works for 3 months etc. But it looks exactly the same. It has limited value. The real thing is $3000 US, the fake or clone 1000 baht.

 

Same for Luis Vitton bags,polo shirts etc etc etc. The value of the fakes or clones is limited.

 

Could you be sold a fake Iphone. Absolutely and I am sure many have. Just go to Craigslist under Thailand and look under cell Phones.

 

Lots of Iphones for sale with all sorts of stories of why they can offer at such a good price. They are fakes 99% of the time.

 

Impossible to tell the difference until you have spent some serious time with them.

 

Again the substitute phone looked and felt identical to my real Iphone until I turned it on.

 

The real thing 30,000 baht. The fake 5000 baht. Do you get the difference???????

[Gaybutton]

I think we're getting caught up in an irrelevant tangent here. The point of this thread is not to determine the difference between a genuine and counterfeit telephone. The fact that this incident even involved a telephone is irrelevant. It doesn't matter what was stolen. The point, I believe, Firecat69 is trying to make is that you need to take precautions against theft of any kinds of valuables, even with boys you have come to trust. When you become complacent, you also become a potential victim. That's the point of this thread, isn't it?

 

If you want to have a discussion about telephones and what is or is not genuine, I suggest starting a thread devoted to that subject.

[Guest]

Never trust something that looks like an I-phone....

 

Actually, I do agree on the security issues.

 

I have tended to lock stuff away in a safe. If my relatively cheap phones happen to be left out, a quick glance confirms they are still there when he's leaving.

 

However, the guard tends to drop when I've met someone 2~3 times. Must not let this happen.

[firecat69]

The point, I believe, Firecat69 is trying to make is that you need to take precautions against theft of any kinds of valuables, even with boys you have come to trust. When you become complacent, you also become a potential victim.

Exactly Gaybutton!!!!

[Guest RichLB]

A friend of mine tells an interesting story about copies and thefts. Seems he has an acquaintance who has purchased a number of fake Rolex watches. He is also in the habit of hiring rent boys in the US (a very pricey service there). What he does is leave the "Rolex" in plain view on a table and before the hustler leaves he tells the guy he wants so take a shower before saying goodbye (and paying the tab). My friend then tells me when his acquaintance returns the rent boy has left along with the fake Rolex. Thus, by plan, the boy is rewarded for his time by a phoney watch of little value and my friend's friend escapes without paying the fee to the escort.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Clever idea and it serves the thief right.

[Guest fountainhall]

The point, I believe, Firecat69 is trying to make is that you need to take precautions against theft of any kinds of valuables, even with boys you have come to trust. When you become complacent, you also become a potential victim

Locking valuables up in a hotel safe is relatively easy. Taking a boy home presents more potential problems, as there could be quite a number of items which he could carry out under his arm should that be his motive. In that case, it's important for the security guard to have his ID card.

 

Clever idea and it serves the thief right.

Fake gold Rolex watches certainly have their uses. I once bought a pair of fakes at the request of my brother. One afternoon, his wife returned to their house to pick up a set of keys she had forgotten. Hearing a noise upstairs, she shouted something and heard footsteps clambering out of the bedroom window. By the time she got upstairs, the thieves had left having taken only - you guessed it - the Rolex watches.

[Guest HeyGay]

Just asume all the boys will steal, in Thailand its your fault if you looses anything you should not put temtation their way.

[Gaybutton]

it's important for the security guard to have his ID card.

That's great if your place happens to have a security guard. Whether there is a security guard or not, your first line of defense is yourself. It's nice if there is a security guard and the boy can leave his ID card with him, but ultimately it's everyone's responsibility to take their own precautions.

[firecat69]

Just asume all the boys will steal, in Thailand its your fault if you looses anything you should not put temtation their way.

 

 

I am almost sorry I started this thread. My first 2 sentences seem to have got lost. 20 years and never a baht stolen. !00's of boys who had chances, especially ones who I saw on a regular basis and not a baht stolen.

 

The overwhelming % of these boys are honest and trying to do a good job and in doing so make many of us happy.

 

I got a dishonest one and sneaky besides. My own fault definitely. I will continue to put things in the safe and now will add my new Iphone gotten today at MBK .

 

Will I start thinking of these boys as thiefs and criminals. Absolutely Not!!! I will treat them the same way as I always have with respect and appreciation for the job they do.

 

I will remove the temptation not because I think these boys are all thiefs but because in doing so I will reduce the chance that a basically honest boy will make a bad decision when faced with desperate times.

 

Anyone of us with our back against the wall has the potential to make a criminal decision

[Guest fountainhall]

My first 2 sentences seem to have got lost. 20 years and never a baht stolen. !00's of boys who had chances, especially ones who I saw on a regular basis

Same with me - and I visited the country well over 100 times in 22 years before moving here 8 years ago. Let's also remember there are bad apples everywhere. But it's still up to each of us to secure our property and possessions.

[aussie_]

Before I first visited Thailand two years ago I was seeing a guy for about six months who I thought I could trust. One night after taking a shower alone he had disappeared with my laptop, modem and more.

 

It taught me a valuable lesson and I do not leave anyone alone in my hotel room or house, even long term friends. We shower together or I wait till they are gone. Lock everything valuable in the safe or suitcase.

 

Sorry to hear about your lost phone firecat and thanks for the reminder not to relax about security.

[Gaybutton]

I am almost sorry I started this thread.

Don't be. I'm glad you started this thread. You probably saved many from experiencing similar losses.

 

Yes, for 20 years you have been fortunate, but then it finally happened. A 30,000 baht telephone is an expensive item to lose to theft by anyone's standards, not to mention the additional 30,000 baht replacement cost. If you are wealthy enough to consider that a minor loss, congratulations, but I think most of us would consider it to be much more than a minor loss.

 

Others are starting to post about their own experiences now, including those who were confident they could trust the boy based on longevity of their relationship without ever having had a problem.

 

The whole point of this thread is to remind people not to assume that you know any of these boys well enough to fully trust that he won't give into temptation. Firecat69 was lucky that all he lost was a telephone. I think most of us who have been on these message boards for any length of time are fully aware of some of the real horror stories that sometimes occur in which the farang victim suffered serious major losses.

 

The sad part is that so many of these kinds of losses are easily preventable if you simply take common sense precautions and abandon the assumption that the boy you are currently with won't steal from you if he gets the chance.

[Guest]

Sorry to hear of this Firecat. I know you were surprised at this event. I am glad you are not going to let it affect your future dealings with guys in LOS.

 

For those that want to see one of these fake Iphones. Go to TutCom. I had a Thai friend buy one for 3k baht. He said he liked the look. It lasted a few weeks.

[Guest]

1 On these forums, I keep reading stories of people getting robbed by guys they have known for a long time.

Am sure there must be a much greater number of guys without problems in such circumstances, but it will keep me on my guard. The way to avoid being robbed is to ASSUME the worst when securing your valuables, but be discrete about that and treat the guys with respect in every other way.

I do take care to avoid being seen moving stuff into the safe -that would be rather rude.

 

In reality, once I trust someone, security will be forgotten about & therefore I will not have learnt from these lessons -theory & practice are 2 different things.

 

2 The fake Rolex story is great. However, this would only work where the cost of paying a rent boy is considerably more than the cost of a fake watch. I don't know what the fake Rolexes cost in Thailand. Actually, they may well assume it's a fake anyway.

 

3 It's not just your own valuables that may be at risk. Even that 600 baht bottle of whiskey in the mini bar is a potential candidate for theft.

[Guest RichLB]

To emphsize the need for caution, let me remind even those of us with long time live in boyfriends to be careful. For years I have been exasperated that my Thai partner will go through our place and hide/secure any transportable items of value when inviting a friend over - even a friend he has known for some time. I've complained that if he can't trust his friends he shouldn't be inviting them to visit. That, of course, falls on deaf ears. After reading the cautions in this thread, I think I'll stop my carping.

[Gaybutton]

I do take care to avoid being seen moving stuff into the safe -that would be rather rude.

 

In reality, once I trust someone, security will be forgotten about & therefore I will not have learnt from these lessons -theory & practice are 2 different things.

Those are choices you're making. I hope you never have to pay the price for your security choices.

 

As far as it being rude to be seen placing your valuables into your safe, what's the rude part? Rude that the boy might think you don't trust him? You can avoid that 'rudeness' by placing your valuables in your safe before you even go out. When you do go out, carry only what you anticipate needing to have with you.

 

If I am planning to bring a boy back, before I ever go out I place the amount I intend to tip him where he won't see it, but will prevent me from having him see where I keep my wallet. My valuables are hidden away before I go out. I do that even if I'm not anticipating bringing someone back with me. You never know . . . I like surprises.

 

The boy never sees my valuables and never sees my wallet. If he wants to search while I'm in the shower, fine with me. I can shower for an hour if I want to. He'll still be trying to figure out where I hid my stuff. If he looks hard enough, the only thing he might find is the money for the tip I planned to give him anyway.

 

You know how I prevent a boy from stealing my mobile phone while I'm in the shower? I take it into the bathroom with me. I do that even when I'm home alone. 9 times out of 10, if I'm going to receive a phone call, it's going to be while I'm in the shower. Also, if I have a fall and hurt myself, the phone is right there to call for help. If you're afraid the mobile phone will get soaked, plan ahead. Before you go out, stash a plastic bag in the bathroom and put the phone in it while you're in there. Now your phone won't get wet.

 

Personally, I'd much rather have a boy think I'm rude than think I'm stupid.