Phipop Thongnoi explains
to the media what had happened when he became the latest victim of a
stubby-fingered conman victimizing cabbies in Pattaya.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
Police say an Issan man impersonating as a booking agent is ripping off
taxi drivers in Pattaya.
Phipop Thongnoi, 35, became the latest in a string of about 30 incidents
reported to police when he filed a complaint that a man identifying
himself only as “Peek” had claimed to have a customer for him, then ran
off with his commission.
The Bangkok cab driver explained that he had dropped off a customer at
Walking Street when Peek flagged him down, claiming he worked for the
Bella Express Hotel and that he had a foreign customer who wanted to
hire a cab to go to Roi-Et for 12,500 baht.
Phipop said Peek said he wanted a 3,500 baht commission for the sale and
the driver agreed. The two rode together to the hotel and as Peek
prepared to fetch the fare, he asked Phipop for his commission, as he
claimed some of the money had to go to the hotel. The driver handed over
the cash, Peek went inside and never returned.
The driver described Peek to police as a northeastern man who claimed to
be a relative of popular Issan music star Mike Phiromporn and had two
truncated fingers.
Pattaya police said about 30 cases of a suspect matching the description
have been filed and a large number of cab drivers have been victimized.
