Does the bitterness ever fade?


If you have left Bangkok and have no plans to return, you are now severely limited in your options. You can pretty much write off any hope of getting your money back, as Thai authorities make it nearly impossible to do anything from afar. You still have the option of mailing your gems and receipts back to Internal Trade, and hoping your store is still open.

Otherwise, your best bet is to simply see what the gems are worth. From what we have read, the gems should be real, just worth a lot less than what you paid for them. Typically the gems may be worth anywhere from 5% to 50% of what you paid for them (this is what our members have reported). You can get a bit of your money back by selling them, otherwise keep them as a reminder of the "Land of Smiles".

Your most productive option is spreading the word about the scam and helping other people avoid it. Start by writing a letter of complaint to the Royal Thai Embassy in your country. Send copies of the letter to the Prime Minister's office and to the Royal Palace as well.

Some members of our group have contacted media organizations back in their home country. This is also an option, though it involves having everyone you know read about how you got scammed.

Ironically, this is one reason that the scam continues so well. Most victims are too ashamed to admit they fell for it, despite the fact that we estimate that there are some 15,000 victims per year. So do your friends and loved ones a favour, and tell them what happened to you, to ensure they don't fall for it too.

Then charge them a few dollars for the advice. Eventually you'll get your money back.

Seriously, check out our Media Page to find out what pressure tactics we are working on, and how you can help. The simple fact is that so long as Thailand's reputation doesn't suffer, tourists will continue to show up every year and the Thai authorities will feel no real reason to do anything. Start talking to travel agents and airlines and anyone else who can influence a travel decision, and tell them to direct people to other countries where the authorities actually care about tourists' well-being.

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