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Ask HN: Have you ever been ripped off?

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Ask HN: Have you ever been ripped off?

#1
I have been majorly ripped off twice previously while taveling.

1.) In Mexico by a "doctor" held my ID hostage and pre-emptively wrote a prescription for an over-the-counter medication, then demanded payment.

2.) Thieves in Spain stole $7,500 of luggage while we were waiting to board a ship.

What have you experienced?

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever been ripped off?

#7
Thai customs officers confiscated a package that contained two cell phones and some miscellaneous stuff sent from the US. Reason: package contained lipstick not approved for sale in Thailand (actually sold there, but expensive). Value around $1,000 (the phones, not the lipstick -- they kept it all).

A Cambodian immigration officer held my passport and asked for a "tip." I refused, he eventually returned my passport because too many witnesses saw what he tried to do.

But enough small potatoes. I lost my job, house, and retirement savings in 2008 thanks to crooks on Wall Street, some of whom went to work for the government, which has taken about 30% of my income every year I've worked, under threat of jail. My medical insurance company charges crazy high premiums for high-deductible coverage that few doctors or clinics accept, and then challenges even routine claims. The petty corruption in Thailand and Cambodia seems quaint by comparison.

Re: Ask HN: Have you ever been ripped off?

#8
post #3

It's not a bribe if you get nothing in return.

True, I just got robbed.

The bribe is for stamping the passport (which is required). My understanding is that every Cambodian border agent expects it. When my wife and I were in Cambodia, I paid my bribe (it was like $2 or $3), then I handed the agent the same bribe for my wife, and he gave me a dollar back as a discount for paying two bribes. I had a hard time not laughing at that.