Your experiences on border crossing scams in SE-Asia

Samouth · Post by **Samouth** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 6:04 pm

I forgot to add this. I actually wrote a lengthy post but it was disappeared for some reason, so I needed to rewrite again.

Actually when I was waiting at the immigration department at Vietnamese side. Some people put from 10000 to 20000 dong in their passport most Vietnamese and no doubt they had their passports stamped first.

BTW, when I was waiting for my passport to be stamped at Phnom Penh airport, the immigration officer wasn't really friendly at all. Look like she hates her job. It was in the early morning,she hadn't dealt with many people yet, so she wasn't tired at all, no excuses for her to be rude. I am not sure if she or them in general would do the same thing to tourists.

rozzieoz · Post by **rozzieoz** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 9:40 pm

Happy New Year Samouth

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Rutiger · Post by **Rutiger** » Tue Apr 12, 2016 10:09 pm

Every time I went through the Had Lek/Koh Kong crossing they insisted an 1000 Thai Baht payment ($32 at the time) instead of the $20 official and posted payment requirement) for a visa on arrival. Some other arrivers stomped and complained and were holding out for the official rate. I figured my time was more valuable and paid the 1000 Baht.

lurcio · Post by **lurcio** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:32 am

Username Taken wrote:
lurcio wrote:
TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money
I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.
Not BS.

They wanted to charge me $5 each for the Gratis K-Visas for my kids.

Then when being processed by Immigration, he asked if I could give him a tip.

I, of course, paid nothing. However, my wife paid after I had walked away.

I always thought that PP airport was free of this crap as it directly reflected on HE governance but from what you say above I am wrong.
If HE can't even keep the fancy new airport free of graft then it doesn't bode well for the future.
From how you explain it perhaps it is just too deeply ingrained into the Khmer culture.

lurcio · Post by **lurcio** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:37 am

TheGrinchSR wrote:
lurcio wrote:
TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money
I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.
No, I'm talking a request for extra money as in; "Have you got $5 for me?" It's not a scam, you can (and I did) say no but it's a request for extra money all the same. If he was offering to move me to the front of queue for $5 - I'd normally have paid it but as I was first in the queue; that would have been a foolish offer. I quite regularly pay to queue jump; something that is absolutely a standard in the Arabian Gulf and formalized through their marhaba (means "welcome" in Arabic) services. Pay $10 and don't queue. Pay that and a nice Filipina takes you through immigration and then goes to fetch your luggage for you and you can stand outside and smoke and hail a taxi.

As above, I thought Pochentong was kept clean as an example of good governance.
Sad the shit is spreading there now.
I apologize for calling BS on you.

-1 Cambodia

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 12:58 am

I have nearly always flown in or out, so I understand it's a different thing than land borders. I've certainly never had a problem at Phnom Penh International Airport. The officers there were very helpful when it came to getting a K visa and are always very efficient and friendly. They have never so much as asked me for a dime.
The Ha Tien border has some kind of $1 health check scam that you can pay or not, depending on whether you think it's worth $1 just so some uniformed imbecile doesn't start shouting at you. I went through the border at Poipet one time way back, it looked kind of dusty or something as far as I can remember, but there was no scam. People who always harp on about scams seem to be those have been duped into scams.

jaynewcastle · Post by **jaynewcastle** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 1:58 am

lurcio wrote:
TheGrinchSR wrote: Phnom Penh comes in a close second with a straight up request for extra money
I'm calling bullshit on this.

Personally I've never heard of anyone paying more than the official rate for their visa at PP airport.

Are you talking about an offer to process your visa before all the people in front of you in the queue for a fee?
If that is the case then you have simply been offered an extra service in exchange for remuneration albeit a service I disagree with.

Immigration staff at both Siem Reap & Phnom Penh airports are quite well known for asking essentially Asian people for extra money as they pass through immigration. Obviously nowhere near as bad as the land border crossing points

Have a quick search on the Cambodian TA forum, you'll find plenty of posts by disgruntled tourists who have been asked for money when arriving by air

Samouth · Post by **Samouth** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 1:13 am

rozzieoz wrote:Happy New Year Samouth

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Happy New Year: Reak Reay Chanam Thmei. I wish you all the best.

khmerre · Post by **khmerre** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 2:14 pm

Username Taken wrote:

They wanted to charge me $5 each for the Gratis K-Visas for my kids.

Then when being processed by Immigration, he asked if I could give him a tip.

I, of course, paid nothing. However, my wife paid after I had walked away.

is just an impression or khmer girl tend easier to pay tea money ? or is it the same with khmer male, where westerner tend more to stay on their rights

SinnSisamouth · Post by **SinnSisamouth** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 2:54 pm

did not get asked for money at pp airport just walked through and paid $35 for visa

got an odd look from a policeman when i was rolling up a ciggy outside though,gave him one which he accepted with a smile thru his tailor made on the floor and smoked mine

he then said in english "oh i thought it was drugs",i am sure he looked a bit dissapointed!

cambodia +1

Your experiences on border crossing scams in SE-Asia

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