I've Been Back In Phnom Penh For Less Than 24 Hours & I've Already Been Approached By A Filipino Blackjack Scammer
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 1:01 am
Just leaving Score Bar after having a couple sun downers with UT and I thought I'd just wonder around Phnom Penh on foot.
I walked up Street 51, across Sihanouk Blvd, and when I got all the way to the other side, some old dude was kind of laughing at me for darting between traffic like an idiot.
I'm wearing shorts, t-shirt and a backpack (no nice hat).
When I get to the other side, he starting talking to me. "Good job! Where you from?"
This scammer doesn't miss a beat or waste any time. As soon as he asks this, I instantly think, "damn, a Filipino Blackjack Scammer! I must look younger and dumber that I thought I look for him to try this on me."
I quickly say Florida, LoL.
He jumps STRAIGHT to the script! "I have a niece who's going to Colorado to study nursing. She's never been to the US before...."
I felt like I was watching a movie I'd already seen a dozen times, as it was literally a carbon copy of their same old routine.
He asks me what I'm doing here in Cambodia and I told him I'm a teacher in the US and I just saved up cash for a few years and just want to travel for a while. He introduces himself as Roger and wants to know where I'm staying, etc. I just make up random bullshit as I go along.
At this stage I thought, "I gotta get some pictures of this guy while he's right here in front of me!" I start snapping random pics of Independence Monument, the crowds, the cars, whatever I can as I try to get him in the frames. He suggests I stop and come back to get better pictures tomorrow during the day.
"But you might not be here tomorrow, and you're what I'm shooting," I thought.
After some small talk about how he's half Cambodian and half Filipino, and how his parents met during the war, and blah blah he can probably tell I'm bored and ready to walk off.
"So, what's your schedule tomorrow? We should meet at a cafe tomorrow with my niece because she wants to talk to an American before she moves there. What time will you be free?"
At this point I was bored shitless and just told him I was kidding about everything, and I knew he was a scammer, and I just wanted to get some pics of him for our site. He looked a bit confused, then I told him I know he just wants me to come play cards so he can rob me, and their scam is well-known to most expats.
He then turned a tad nasty and said, "I don't play cards! If you want to play cards go walk over to Naga World Casino..."
He then stormed off in the opposite direction I was headed.
I was shocked at how they haven't changed their story one bit over the last decade or so. She's studying nursing? Really?!? Come on. Change your story.
Here's his pic, and he introduced himself as "Roger," not that it's his real name or anything:
I walked up Street 51, across Sihanouk Blvd, and when I got all the way to the other side, some old dude was kind of laughing at me for darting between traffic like an idiot.
I'm wearing shorts, t-shirt and a backpack (no nice hat).
When I get to the other side, he starting talking to me. "Good job! Where you from?"
This scammer doesn't miss a beat or waste any time. As soon as he asks this, I instantly think, "damn, a Filipino Blackjack Scammer! I must look younger and dumber that I thought I look for him to try this on me."
I quickly say Florida, LoL.
He jumps STRAIGHT to the script! "I have a niece who's going to Colorado to study nursing. She's never been to the US before...."
I felt like I was watching a movie I'd already seen a dozen times, as it was literally a carbon copy of their same old routine.
He asks me what I'm doing here in Cambodia and I told him I'm a teacher in the US and I just saved up cash for a few years and just want to travel for a while. He introduces himself as Roger and wants to know where I'm staying, etc. I just make up random bullshit as I go along.
At this stage I thought, "I gotta get some pictures of this guy while he's right here in front of me!" I start snapping random pics of Independence Monument, the crowds, the cars, whatever I can as I try to get him in the frames. He suggests I stop and come back to get better pictures tomorrow during the day.
"But you might not be here tomorrow, and you're what I'm shooting," I thought.
After some small talk about how he's half Cambodian and half Filipino, and how his parents met during the war, and blah blah he can probably tell I'm bored and ready to walk off.
"So, what's your schedule tomorrow? We should meet at a cafe tomorrow with my niece because she wants to talk to an American before she moves there. What time will you be free?"
At this point I was bored shitless and just told him I was kidding about everything, and I knew he was a scammer, and I just wanted to get some pics of him for our site. He looked a bit confused, then I told him I know he just wants me to come play cards so he can rob me, and their scam is well-known to most expats.
He then turned a tad nasty and said, "I don't play cards! If you want to play cards go walk over to Naga World Casino..."
He then stormed off in the opposite direction I was headed.
I was shocked at how they haven't changed their story one bit over the last decade or so. She's studying nursing? Really?!? Come on. Change your story.
Here's his pic, and he introduced himself as "Roger," not that it's his real name or anything: