On my way to dinner last night, I stopped by an ATM. I noticed a Thai guy standing about 7 or 8 feet away from the ATM, and as I always do when seeing somebody standing close to an ATM I'm about to use, I give them a good hard look so that they know that I've noticed them.After receiving my cash, putting it in my wallet, and getting my card back, I turned around to see the Thai guy standing about 4 or 5 feet away from me. I watched him as I walked back to my motorcycle, and he kind of hovered around the ATM machine for a minute, looking confused, and then started to walk back to his motorcycle, which was parked close to mine. I sat on my bike and stared at him the entire time. He knew I was watching him, and I waited for him to drive off.
Anyway, when you go to ATMs in Pattaya, watch your back, be aware of who is around you. Avoid using ATMs when nobody else is around. Avoid using ATMs late at night. If you have somebody with you, have them stand behind you to keep a watchful eye. I have a suspicion that this type of crime... snatching money from foreigners standing at ATMs... is going to skyrocket in the near future. It is, unfortunately, a profitable and comparably easy way to steal money.
2 comments:
Sound advice in any city...
yup, franky, try taking cash from an ATM in Brussels after dark.....
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