The Thai zig zag scam is a
confidence trick
A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naivety, compassion, vanity, confidence, irrespons ...
where one is falsely accused of
shoplifting
Shoplifting (also known as shop theft, shop fraud, retail theft, or retail fraud) is the theft of goods from a retail establishment during business hours. The terms ''shoplifting'' and ''shoplifter'' are not usually defined in law, and genera ...
, and then held by police, or those claiming to be police, until "bail" is paid for the alleged theft. At times those fleeced are shown faked
closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
footage as corroboration. In several cases in Thailand, this confidence trick has occurred at the airport, and thus is sometimes called the "Thai airport scam". Most reports of this scam are dated.
Cases
According to the BBC, police in Bangkok's
Suvarnabhumi Airport
Suvarnabhumi Airport is the main international airport serving Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Located mostly in Racha Thewa subdistrict, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province, it covers an area of , making it one of the biggest intern ...
have participated in a series of these scams, robbing tourists of thousands of dollars each time.
An English couple was charged with stealing a wallet.
The Thai embassy in Singapore published a rebuttal to the BBC article, stating that all legal proceedings in the case of the English were conducted "...in accordance with the law." An Irish woman was charged with stealing eye-liner.
An Australian man was charged with stealing a doughnut.
See also
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Thai tailor scam
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Gem scam
The gem scam is a confidence trick performed usually against tourists. The most known version occurs in Bangkok, Thailand as well as other cities in the country. It is one of the most pervasive scams in Thailand. Most of the shops are gold or jew ...
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Crime in Thailand
Crime in Thailand has been a defining issue in the country for decades, inspiring years of policy and international criticism. Drug use and corruption make up the majority of the crime in Thailand and due to this, many Thai administrations attempte ...
References
{{Scams and confidence tricks
Confidence tricks
Fraud in Thailand
Organised crime in Thailand