How long has the scam been going on?
We have found references to gem scams in Bangkok all the way back to the 1950s. Why don’t the police crack down? Despite the pledges made at every international tourism convention to stop the crime, the way the laws are, there is really very little the authorities can do. The victims and gems have to be in the country for a complaint to be filed, an appraiser has to be hired, and fines for the perpetrators are so minuscule, it is not worth filling out all the paperwork. Cracking down is just not a worthwhile use of their time. (The Bangkok Post has a good article explaining this.) Also, everyone from the TAT to the government interpreters who help tourist file police reports will openly admit (often in front of smirking police officers) that the police are part of the scam. TAT officials have also told 2Bangkok.com that the stores are protected by local police. In particular, the Vandee scam shop, which operated just a few blocks from TAT headquarters, was considered particularly humil
