| Laos/Cambodia Ripoff Warning |
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| RIPOFF REPORT: So now a little story of the ripoffs at the Laos/Cambodia border. First you should buy a ticket from either Pakse or Don Kong, Don Det, or Don Khon - whever is your last point before crossing the border, and compare prices. Buy a ticket at least as far as Stung Treng or Kratie in Cambodia - not just to the border. You then go in a van or pickup to a place near (several kms from) the border where Laos Customs and Immigration have a station where you officially leave Laos. This is where ripoff artists hang out and try to get your money in various ways. The border police, who actually stamp you out of Laos usually ask for $1-2, but that is seperate from the ripoffs who are in plain clothes. |
| Please see the picture at left. This smiling guy is a ripoff artist who scammed two English guys in our group out of $22. He did it in two ways, and unfortunately they made themselves easy targets. They (1) brought excess Laos Kip and were (2) trying to pay for a Cambodian visa on arrival with it and change the rest. Mistake! He changed their money at the worst immaginable rate - twice (first to US$, then to Riel). Then he told them to pay 50% of the Cambodian visa cost to him, to "clear the police" - otherwise they would not be allowed to go to the border. They protested and he became angry - of course. They gave in and we went several kms down the lonely road to the actual Cambodian border. |
| You can see the border crossing at right, showing a sign (in white) for "Visa On Arrival". Of course once we were there the officials knew nothing of the 50% up-front payment the two guys had made, and they had to pay the full fee of $20 plus the usual $1-2 they always seem to ask for (and because it was Sunday they asked for $3). We had the phone number of the ripoff guy and my Thai girlfriend called him and asked him about it. He denied everything and eventually she really chewed him out - and she almost never gets angry. We learned later that he had lost about $200 playing cards the night before and "needed" more money - hey why not rip off some more tourists? |
| WARNING: Never give your passport or any money to anyone other than a uniformed border police official! |
| I promised I would post this guy's picture on my website. So there he is. Right-click on the picture and Save As to download and print it. Take it to the border with you and show him that we know! Trust me - he understands English. Good Luck. |
| The real Cambodian border where visa on arrival costs $20 plus a couple dollars for "service, but this is normal. Visa in advance or on arrival you still pay the standard $1-2 to the officials. |