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[Valentine]

This has not appeared in any local rag but could be of interest to some http://andrew-drummo...s-scam-central/

[ripstanley]

Interesting reading. It pays to check before departing with your money. If it looks very easy money then  walk away.

[cloudhopper]

Thanks. There is certainly no shortage of pond scum like these guys trawling around Phuket.

[FlyByNights]

These type of guys are everywhere on the island. Supposedly self made millionaires, and then you have their group of flunky friends hanging out with them who will confirm and admire every word they say just for a couple of 'free" beers; and at the same time receiving some extra attention from the “ladies”. , with their old, broke, and drunk as&es.  

There are different levels of this type of scum on every corner, but one thing that I do know is that their money means nothing once your face to face with them. Hopefully you are "streetwise" enough to call them out.  The only thing they will have left then, is their big ass smirk ready to be slapped off their face, which one day will surly happen if they ever run into that wrong individual.

I personally do not know the two individuals mentioned by Andrew, but there is tons of this crap going on around here. Everyone thinking they are somewhere in between Steve Jobs to Scarface.  Sometimes is just too much for me to handle.

Avoid hanging out with crap, because then you will also be considered a piece.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

[FrankBlunt]

As the OP stated, no mention of this in the local newspapers. Why can't the local newspapers investigate and expose this type of stuff? Surely their own locally-based "journalists" can dig a little deeper than someone based up in Bangkok (which, I think, is where Andrew Drummond is based)?

[jocko]

FlyByNights, on 2012-05-21 09:42:26, said:

These type of guys are everywhere on the island. Supposedly self made millionaires, and then you have their group of flunky friends hanging out with them who will confirm and admire every word they say just for a couple of 'free" beers; and at the same time receiving some extra attention from the “ladies”. , with their old, broke, and drunk as&es.  

There are different levels of this type of scum on every corner, but one thing that I do know is that their money means nothing once your face to face with them. Hopefully you are "streetwise" enough to call them out.  The only thing they will have left then, is their big ass smirk ready to be slapped off their face, which one day will surly happen if they ever run into that wrong individual.

I personally do not know the two individuals mentioned by Andrew, but there is tons of this crap going on around here. Everyone thinking they are somewhere in between Steve Jobs to Scarface.  Sometimes is just too much for me to handle.

Avoid hanging out with crap, because then you will also be considered a piece.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

This kind of crap as you call it is worldwide from con men whether they are builders or financial con men the prey on the greedy and vulnerable as the cop in Hill St Blues used to say at the start of the shift

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

[FlyByNights]

Yes you are most defiantly right about con men being worldwide, but you see a piece of shayt in my eyes, is a piece of shayt regardless of where they are from, or where they are living. And no, where I'm from we do not have "builders and financial con men" roaming around stealing peoples’ money on bogus properties.  In western countries there is still some type of regulations and rule of law to keep these leaches from preying on people.

Don’t get me wrong, there are other bad things happening in my part of the world, but defiantly not on the same level as here in Thailand. Criminals and thugs somehow think this place is their safe little haven, little do they know their time is ticking.

Only two things will become of these bastards, either they will end up in jail, or they end up dead. That is guaranteed.

Self called millionaires hanging out at bars with local prostitutes, and ex-felons who are running away from whatever problems they might be having at home.  I laugh to myself whenever I catch myself around these type of people, bragging they got this and they got that, while their wives are on a bang-a-thon marathon with other suckers just like themselves.

I don't have sympathy towards the greedy getting victimized, it's the vulnerable people who get taken advantage of that makes me sick.

Your indeed correct when you quote "BE CAREFUL OUT THERE".

The streets are always watching, and watching the boys with big toys even closer.

[HongKongPhooey]

The thing that amazes me about these kinds of people is there complete lack of fear of physical retaliation. You can understand it when big skin head thugs feel confident when they rip people off, but a couple of fat, old, middle aged men who most people could spank senseless! It amazes me they get away with it for as long as they do.

Someone should put posters up in all the bars in the south. Make their faces known and completely unwelcome wherever they try to drink. Phuket being so small, it would be very easy to run a couple of dicks like that off the island for good.

[FlyByNights]

You’re so totally right. It's the complete lack of fear of physical retaliation, maybe it's because they surround themselves with goons everywhere they go, or they feel protected behind their cash. Neither of these 2 things will save them when their time comes. HKP you clearly understand the nature of the beast and the consequences involved. +1 for you.

If they were to ever run across the wrong individuals who are not afraid to retaliate, they probably wouldn’t even see it coming.

Live life safe and respect one another.

"Play with fire and you will get burned"

[HongKongPhooey]

Most of the time con men will be seriously damaged people, emotionally and psychologically. They are probably so deluded that they don't think they will ever get caught. They probably select their victims wisely as well so as not to upset people who are more likely to retaliate when they know they have been conned.

This is why, although I am not a violent man by nature, I strongly believe people like this need to be beaten badly before they will even think about stopping. Even if it doesn't make them stop it's only what they deserve.

Like I said before, with Phuket being so small it wouldn't take much to make them realise it was time to move on. As the article said they have left several places in their wake already. The hardest bit is finding out about them in the first place, after that their days are numbered.

I'm not a huge fan of Drummand but fair play to him when he uncovers people like this.

[pagallim]

Any situation where people are living in what isn't their mother country will always attract those who seek to gain advantage through others unfamiliarity.   This is as true for Western expats in Phuket as it is for the Burmese labourers we each see every day.   So often, people are trusting of those who speak the same language, and profess to have knowledge of the local customs and commerce.   In some cases, that's true, but unfortunately in many cases it isn't, and your new 'friend' is merely seeking to take advantage of what is naivety, not stupidity.

This was very much the case where I formerly lived in Spain as it is here in Phuket, where it was inevitably another expat who was a con artist, rather than a local.

[elektrified]

pagallim, on 2012-05-21 20:43:20, said:

Any situation where people are living in what isn't their mother country will always attract those who seek to gain advantage through others unfamiliarity.   This is as true for Western expats in Phuket as it is for the Burmese labourers we each see every day.   So often, people are trusting of those who speak the same language, and profess to have knowledge of the local customs and commerce.   In some cases, that's true, but unfortunately in many cases it isn't, and your new 'friend' is merely seeking to take advantage of what is naivety, not stupidity.

This was very much the case where I formerly lived in Spain as it is here in Phuket, where it was inevitably another expat who was a con artist, rather than a local.

That's true. I also lived in Spain and there was an element of scammers preying on the new arrivals from the U.K., Sweden, Holland, etc. These scammers were not locals at all. They were [mostly] other Brits.  It was going on everywhere in the village I lived in.

[silsburyhill]

HongKongPhooey, on 2012-05-21 17:18:16, said:

The thing that amazes me about these kinds of people is there complete lack of fear of physical retaliation. You can understand it when big skin head thugs feel confident when they rip people off, but a couple of fat, old, middle aged men who most people could spank senseless! It amazes me they get away with it for as long as they do.

Someone should put posters up in all the bars in the south. Make their faces known and completely unwelcome wherever they try to drink. Phuket being so small, it would be very easy to run a couple of dicks like that off the island for good.

Speaking from personal experience, they 'get away with it as long as they do', in large part, with the acquiescence of their peers.

In all my years here on Phuket, I have yet to hear any condemnation of this type of behaviour anywhere. It's simply not spoken of. It seems to be a case of 'well we're all in this together' an 'us against 'them' mentality which appears to pervade, in particular, a certain mindset. Together, of course, with a need to not be seen as raising one's head above the parapet, coupled with a very strong 'what's in it for me element'. After all, these two men are hardly thin on the ground here, are they?

Edited by silsburyhill, 2012-05-24 17:54:38.

[stevenl]

silsburyhill, on 2012-05-24 17:53:13, said:

In all my years here on Phuket, I have yet to hear any condemnation of this type of behaviour anywhere. It's simply not spoken of.

Did you read this thread?

[HongKongPhooey]

silsburyhill, on 2012-05-24 17:53:13, said:

HongKongPhooey, on 2012-05-21 17:18:16, said:

The thing that amazes me about these kinds of people is there complete lack of fear of physical retaliation. You can understand it when big skin head thugs feel confident when they rip people off, but a couple of fat, old, middle aged men who most people could spank senseless! It amazes me they get away with it for as long as they do.

Someone should put posters up in all the bars in the south. Make their faces known and completely unwelcome wherever they try to drink. Phuket being so small, it would be very easy to run a couple of dicks like that off the island for good.

Speaking from personal experience, they 'get away with it as long as they do', in large part, with the acquiescence of their peers.

In all my years here on Phuket, I have yet to hear any condemnation of this type of behaviour anywhere. It's simply not spoken of. It seems to be a case of 'well we're all in this together' an 'us against 'them' mentality which appears to pervade, in particular, a certain mindset. Together, of course, with a need to not be seen as raising one's head above the parapet, coupled with a very strong 'what's in it for me element'. After all, these two men are hardly thin on the ground here, are they?

Sorry, I couldn't reply to this straight away, I had to get my dictionary out for the word 'acquiescence'. Every day's a school day.

Maybe you're right, but I think that will have something to do with what I said earlier about them selecting specific targets. I believe conmen will always pick their 'mark' carefully. They will look for traits that will make them confident they are dealing with weak minded people who will be too timid to put up a fight when they know they have been ripped off. That is why so many victims are elderly.

I hope that's the case anyhow. I would like to think there are enough people out there that are man enough to confront them if the opportunity arose. I personally wouldn't be able to keep quiet if they walked in a bar I was drinking in and they haven't ripped me off, so I very much hope someone who they had ripped off would do the same.

As for how prevalent they are I wouldn't know. I keep myself to myself, and I'm highly allergic to bull shitters, so when people like that start talking to me I normally make my excuses and slide down the bar long before they've tried to sell me something.

[itsala]

According to the article they spend time in the bars in Chalong, Yet no-one has posted any first hand experience of meeting with them. Given the number of threads about the Chalong scene, surprised nobody has any actual anecdotes to share about these two "fiends", plenty of members seem to frequent the area.
The forum is normally quick to PERSONALLY condemn anyone, why has no-one done so with this case?  or has Mr. Drummond got the wrong drinking holes?

[steelepulse]

>>or has Mr. Drummond got the wrong drinking holes?

I don't know about that, but the 2nd house pictured sure looks like an exact copy of a house that is not in Baan Bua.

[Andyman]

I have seem one of them in Chalong, he was quiet and unassuming with his wife & kid.

[FlyByNights]

19 replies and 1,143  views later.

Makes me really wonder about the amount of crooks, and cowards that have actually infested this paradise that I call my home.

I too, would not be able to stop myself from saying something if our paths would ever cross while sitting in a bar in Chalong, or any part if the island for that matter.

This thread will at least go to show how many people actually have the balls to take a stand to these fake suckers. We can be reassured they already know we are on to them. Their hour glass is running low.

The day I get scammed after someone has befriended me, gained my trust, and has literally betrayed the bond of friendship and respect, that will most defiantly be the day that these fake a&s, self centered bastards won’t ever forget.  I hate to say it but I would have to hunt them down.  

Don’t fear these type of people, they are not gangsters, they are wanksters and as fake as they come!  Strip all their wealth down and let them try to scam someone in the San Quentin Penaltinatary Recreational yard and see what happens. They wouldn’t last a day.

Even if Mr. Drummond is wrong, which he might actually be on some of his claims, and yes along with his pictures as well, we all still know that these types of people exist and are abundant here on the island.

Personally, it’s the principle of the matter for me. I cannot stand “Fake people with no respect”.  This is the first thing that came to my mind after reading his article.

I say be who and what you want to be, but please don’t be acting like someone you are not, and never disrespect and take advantage of the weak. The only respect these guys get is from their broke ass cronies, or from the owners of the bars they frequent and throw their cash around.


Screw these guys.

Edited by FlyByNights, 2012-05-25 11:58:23.

[silsburyhill]

FlyByNights, on 2012-05-25 11:55:31, said:

19 replies and 1,143  views later.

Which, in a nutshell, proves my point.

As to HKP's  assertion firstly that these scum are emotionally damaged, read sociopaths, and then oddly, targeting the 'weak minded', he really should educate himself as to what a sociopath actually is. Victims need not necessarily be vulnerable as to their lack of cognitive capabilities, although given that the presumed 'wealthy', nice car/appearance, smooth talker, are held in as at least equally high esteem as those Thais they dreide for their being 'shallow' in this regard, but physically debilitated. In my experience, it was someone  recovering from a serious illness, whose circumstances had been taken advantage of by a farang and his Thai wife. From that which I have learned, various members of the expat community here were more than willing to join in the beanfeast.

It was that which took my breath away.  

[HongKongPhooey]

silsburyhill, on 2012-05-25 12:26:16, said:

FlyByNights, on 2012-05-25 11:55:31, said:

19 replies and 1,143  views later.

Which, in a nutshell, proves my point.

As to HKP's  assertion firstly that these scum are emotionally damaged, read sociopaths, and then oddly, targeting the 'weak minded', he really should educate himself as to what a sociopath actually is. Victims need not necessarily be vulnerable as to their lack of cognitive capabilities, although given that the presumed 'wealthy', nice car/appearance, smooth talker, are held in as at least equally high esteem as those Thais they dreide for their being 'shallow' in this regard, but physically debilitated. In my experience, it was someone  recovering from a serious illness, whose circumstances had been taken advantage of by a farang and his Thai wife. From that which I have learned, various members of the expat community here were more than willing to join in the beanfeast.

It was that which took my breath away.  

I'm struggling to see why you are disagreeing with me. You say I'm wrong that a lot of conmen target 'weak' people, old people being a particular favourite. You then said that your personal experience was someone who was 'recovering from a 'serious illness'!! If that isn't an example of a well chosen vulnerable person I don't know what is.

You obviously have an issue with a personal experience, but to base the expat community on that one experience and insinuate that a significant number of people would be happy to stand around and watch while a seriously ill person was being fleeced by a conman  and to even join in in the 'beanfest' as you put it, is complete nonsense IMO. You may know an example of it, but that wouldn't be the norm in my experience.

[billythehat]

HongKongPhooey, on 2012-05-24 18:35:51, said:

silsburyhill, on 2012-05-24 17:53:13, said:

HongKongPhooey, on 2012-05-21 17:18:16, said:

The thing that amazes me about these kinds of people is there complete lack of fear of physical retaliation. You can understand it when big skin head thugs feel confident when they rip people off, but a couple of fat, old, middle aged men who most people could spank senseless! It amazes me they get away with it for as long as they do.

Someone should put posters up in all the bars in the south. Make their faces known and completely unwelcome wherever they try to drink. Phuket being so small, it would be very easy to run a couple of dicks like that off the island for good.

Speaking from personal experience, they 'get away with it as long as they do', in large part, with the acquiescence of their peers.

In all my years here on Phuket, I have yet to hear any condemnation of this type of behaviour anywhere. It's simply not spoken of. It seems to be a case of 'well we're all in this together' an 'us against 'them' mentality which appears to pervade, in particular, a certain mindset. Together, of course, with a need to not be seen as raising one's head above the parapet, coupled with a very strong 'what's in it for me element'. After all, these two men are hardly thin on the ground here, are they?

Sorry, I couldn't reply to this straight away, I had to get my dictionary out for the word 'acquiescence'. Every day's a school day.

Maybe you're right, but I think that will have something to do with what I said earlier about them selecting specific targets. I believe conmen will always pick their 'mark' carefully. They will look for traits that will make them confident they are dealing with weak minded people who will be too timid to put up a fight when they know they have been ripped off. That is why so many victims are elderly.

I hope that's the case anyhow. I would like to think there are enough people out there that are man enough to confront them if the opportunity arose. I personally wouldn't be able to keep quiet if they walked in a bar I was drinking in and they haven't ripped me off, so I very much hope someone who they had ripped off would do the same.

As for how prevalent they are I wouldn't know. I keep myself to myself, and I'm highly allergic to bull shitters, so when people like that start talking to me I normally make my excuses and slide down the bar long before they've tried to sell me something.

“I normally make my excuses and slide down the bar long before they've tried to sell me something.”

Wot? ...and deprive them of one of your famous linear 3 hour lectures?...

[Deepblue2406]

These two conmen are exactly as depicted in the articles that were written about them. Neal is always in the bars in Rawai especially the Corner bar wich has become his new hang out looking for young girls to impress. They have left so many people in a bad situation over here on the island and still live the luvish lifestyle that Phuket has to offer without a care in the world. They do think they are above the law through everything they have done and keep on doing (or so they think) and give Brits a really bad name. But i think Phuket has got a good strong expact community that will be able to flush these guys off of the Island and even out of Thailand. This Island and Thailand has had a rough run as is this year and the bad press that these two charecters are bringing to light about Phuket doesnt help at all. Let us stand together as an expact community against people like these two. If they could be made an example of think what that could mean for the future.

[stevenl]

Deepblue2406, on 54 minutes ago, said:

These two conmen are exactly as depicted in the articles that were written about them. Neal is always in the bars in Rawai especially the Corner bar wich has become his new hang out looking for young girls to impress. They have left so many people in a bad situation over here on the island and still live the luvish lifestyle that Phuket has to offer without a care in the world. They do think they are above the law through everything they have done and keep on doing (or so they think) and give Brits a really bad name. But i think Phuket has got a good strong expact community that will be able to flush these guys off of the Island and even out of Thailand. This Island and Thailand has had a rough run as is this year and the bad press that these two charecters are bringing to light about Phuket doesnt help at all. Let us stand together as an expact community against people like these two. If they could be made an example of think what that could mean for the future.

And how do you propose the expat community flushes them off of the island?

[Deepblue2406]

stevenl, on 10 minutes ago, said:

Deepblue2406, on 54 minutes ago, said:

These two conmen are exactly as depicted in the articles that were written about them. Neal is always in the bars in Rawai especially the Corner bar wich has become his new hang out looking for young girls to impress. They have left so many people in a bad situation over here on the island and still live the luvish lifestyle that Phuket has to offer without a care in the world. They do think they are above the law through everything they have done and keep on doing (or so they think) and give Brits a really bad name. But i think Phuket has got a good strong expact community that will be able to flush these guys off of the Island and even out of Thailand. This Island and Thailand has had a rough run as is this year and the bad press that these two charecters are bringing to light about Phuket doesnt help at all. Let us stand together as an expact community against people like these two. If they could be made an example of think what that could mean for the future.

And how do you propose the expat community flushes them off of the island?

Well if we can keep this thread going, inform as many people as possible about these two and make them feel unwelcome. The more people that know about them the less chance they stand to scam someone in the future. Phuket is a small isalnd and if you are not welcome or dont feel welcome wouldnt you leave?

Edited by Deepblue2406, 2 minutes ago.