New Scam.

diego

New member
Aug 16, 2003
80
0
0
At least new to me.
No this time not done to a Tourist but by a Tourist.
Here is what happen, My son walked past the Casa Marina Reef Hotel late Saturday Night when he was stopped by 3 Tourismo Police Officers and put into a waiting Car, within 10 Minutes 2 other young man received the same treatment, they were then put into Jail in Sosua and where told that they were being held for breaking and entering into the Casa Marina Reef Hotel and stealing 550 Euros and a Video Camera.
The break in happened Friday night at about 3 AM, my son got arrested Saturday night at about midnight, a European Lady who was with the Tourismo Police just pointed at 3 young man and at her say so they were arrested and thrown in Jail.
My son spend 2 nights in Jail and we took him to Puerto Plata this morning to meet with the Fiscal, that?s when we found out?
That it seems to be a big thing among Tourists coming to this Country to call the Police and tell them this or that was stolen, the Police will file a report and give the visiting Tourist a copy of the Report. The Tourist then goes back to his and in our case to her Country (the Netherlands) and claim a theft with her Insurance, and she will get paid and by doing that paying for her Vacation.
This is what my Lawyer and the Fiscal told me.
The both said it?s happening more and more often.
Since neither the Lady from Holland or a Lawyer representing her showed up at the Fiscals Office all charges where dropped.
Never mind the 7000.00 Pesos is cost just settling everything here in Sosua and Puerto Plata but that my Son and 2 other innocent Boys had to spend 2 nights in Jail is an experience I did not want him to go through.
Anybody else out there made similar experiences and if so can you tell me if it?s worth going after her in her own Country, I have her Name and Passport Number.
 

Chris

Gold
Oct 21, 2002
7,951
28
0
www.caribbetech.com
I believe this story. Also tourists come here and where-ever they can buy with a credit card, they buy. Then, upon returning, they go back to their credit card company and dispute the charges. Usually the tourists win because... it is the Dominican Republic and as we all know, fraud is rife.. so, it cannot possibly be the poor tourist that is at fault. But, at the end of the day, it is the poor merchant offering cc facilities that loses.

This 'taking the tourists for everything you can' coin has two sides...
 

MommC

On Vacation!
Mar 2, 2002
4,056
7
0
dr1.com
Just shows that there are scammers in every country!

Does make it difficult for us honest folk.

BTW.....a couple yrs back I had $18000. in fraudulent charges rung up on one of my credit cards thanks to an unscrupulous vendor in Plaza Central.
Lucky for me the CC company caught it and suspended the card and charged back all but a couple hundred $$ which I had to verify were indeed fraudulent before they were removed from my account.
So CC fraud DOES occur but then again so do people who make a purchase them claim it's false......
 

duhtree

New member
Jun 2, 2003
414
0
0
Two observations.
1. in my experience it has been near impossible to get cc companies to stop or rescend payments that have been made. Yes, they will place a " hold " on the charges while they investigate but in the end they shrug their corporate shoulders and say tough tittie.
2. You don't need a "perpetrator" to make an insurance claim. Just go to the police station and tell them it happened on the beach; she took it while I slept; I just set it down for a minute, etc. And, voila! a police report for your insurance company.
In my past lives I recall the buying of Amer. Express checks, traveling to somewhere, selling them on the black market for 50 cents on the dollar, then reporting them stolen.
And the beat goes on. John
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
Sorry to hear about what happened to your son, Diego.
Now that you've made this scam public, may I suggest that if it happens to anybody else, they should find out who the complainant is (not difficult to do), and go "take care" of them.
There are many ways this could be done that would result in the accused being set free and the scam artist landing up in jail.
If you need suggestions as to how to go about doing this, PM or e-mail me.
 

rellosk

Silver
Mar 18, 2002
4,169
58
48
Rocky said:
There are many ways this could be done that would result in the accused being set free and the scam artist landing up in jail.
If you need suggestions as to how to go about doing this, PM or e-mail me.
Is there anything that can be done, once the scam artist has left the country?
 

Wag

New member
Feb 4, 2005
89
0
0
Passport number

The police reports should have the passport number and issuing country.
You can always go to your local consulate and file a complaint against that person.
 

Rocky

Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Apr 4, 2002
13,993
208
0
111
www.rockysbar.com
rellosk said:
Is there anything that can be done, once the scam artist has left the country?
If you know who he/she is why not?
If you know where the person lives, you could advise the local police in their town, that the person is about to commit an insurance fraud.
If you found out where the person worked, you could assist them in losing their job, etc.
 
duhtree said:
Two observations.
1. in my experience it has been near impossible to get cc companies to stop or rescend payments that have been made. Yes, they will place a " hold " on the charges while they investigate but in the end they shrug their corporate shoulders and say tough tittie.
2. You don't need a "perpetrator" to make an insurance claim. Just go to the police station and tell them it happened on the beach; she took it while I slept; I just set it down for a minute, etc. And, voila! a police report for your insurance company.
In my past lives I recall the buying of Amer. Express checks, traveling to somewhere, selling them on the black market for 50 cents on the dollar, then reporting them stolen.
And the beat goes on. John

Guess my next trip is a freebie, Thanx for the info ;)
 

snoozer

Member
Jan 22, 2004
282
7
18
Not my experience Duhtree. Twice in the last two years I have had fraudulent charges on my CC and both times the charges were reversed. The first one was for RD$ 100,000 in Santo Domingo, it took a lot of calls and a few months to get it done but I did recieve the full refund. The second was in Canada while I was away in DR last winter, again a few phone call and it was done, with a credit for the interest.