[SEAJ]

Foreigners living overseas/expatriates preying on us! Ethnic Scams
I’ve visited and lived in many different places and I of course know that the great majority of expatriates – real business people, solid retirees, those taking a well-deserved break from their stressful profession, whatever, ARE respectable people.

But then there is a subset of them who we all need to watch out for too. Unfortunately, hard to judge these from their appearances as most expatriates adapt to the local mode of dress and of course tourists everywhere look like crap!
These long term expatriate dregs at times are victims of scams themselves – many times Love Scams, have had unfortunate accidents/incidences PLUS more significantly, those who just cannot go back to their own countries. Those with arrest warrants, those running away from creditors, those whose reputation is so bad that it’s impossible for them to work back home – people who are dregs in any society but who’ve found a new life committing ETHNIC SCAMS in countries where they've run away to.

Hard for them to scam locals, they turn to visitors, foreigners – especially fellow countrymen - to pull off their scams. And hate to point this out, but IMHO, Singaporeans seems to be a favorite target as you guys are generally so good natured, trusting and don’t sweat the details. Your society is so well governed AND controlled, your laws are so effective at protecting you, your ethics are so entrenched in the good OLD Chinese/Confucian ways (Note – not how the PRC is these days), that you just all too easily trust others and especially fellow Singaporeans.

I of course know that most of you already know most of the things I’m gonna write – but somehow, all too many of us, including yours truly, do tend to forget even basic precautions when out for a good time. Just listing some reminders – and of course please feel free to add your own.

OK, going back to ALL manners of expatriate dregs – do watch out for :
- Those who strikes up conversations with you. Yeah, nice, but at least try to determine the bona-fides of such chance meeting instead of just being so glad to have a chance to connect up. So easy to sucker people who are alone in a foreign land but actually worse when you’re a couple or a group - as you are more likely to then have your guards down.

- Offers to “let’s go” somewhere for great buys, bargains places etc. which he himself want to go to. And oh… offers to change currency as he’s going home and no longer need so much local money.

- Honey traps – yeah, the lost lonely foreign gal.

- Foreigners feigning great distress – at having been robbed, losing their money, being victimized by local (corrupt or otherwise) authorities etc. How very natural for us all to help out…and then get suckered in!

- Foreigners making sure you hear them speak the local language. LOL – again just our natural tendency to approach people who we think can help make our stay better as they are localized. And do also remember - Singlish spoken loudly is another thing to be wary of!

- Foreigners making outlandish show of how free spending/flushed he is (usually in cahoots with the bar, club etc. owners). Hey, he’s rich, no need for me to worry about befriending him! WRONG! And even if he is NOT a scam artist, too many times he’s just a zero to hero – those whose daily life at home is so miserable needs to show-off when overseas away from knowing eyes. Nahhh… these Taikor wannabe's, we don’t need to associate with them! Losers!

And one last thing – DO think about any new friends you’ve made when overseas. Would you really be friends with them at home? At home, would you even associate or even be seen with some of the dregs that are like flies in tourist places – especially mongering areas? True or not – that when overseas you tend to forget a lot about what and who you really are, for after all, what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas! LOL.

SEAJ