- Report: #829464
Complaint Review: Cambodia Department of Immigration - Poipet Select State/Province
Reported By:
John York -
Bangkok, Nationwide, Thailand
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
Cambodia Department of Immigration
No 332, Russian Boulevard Poipet, Select State/Province, United States of America
Phone:
+85512581558
Web:
immigration.gov.kh
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Cambodia Department of Immigration Extorting Americans with illegitimate fees to cross the border between Aranyaprathet, Thailand and Poipet, Cambodia Poipet, Other
Report Attachments
When traveling across the land border crossing between Aranyaprathet, Thailand and Poipet, Cambodia, extorsion by Cambodia immigration officers via illegitimate fees is commonplace.
Scam #1 is the "pay 100 Thai baht or stay overnight". When you are exiting country, they will tell you that there is a fee of 100 Thai baht that must be paid. If you don't pay it, they tell you that you will have to stay in Cambodia overnight. There is no such fee and they are simply making it up. If you pay them this fee, they will pocket it and their employer will never get any of this money. If you refuse to pay it, they will not let you leave Cambodia.
Scam #2 is the "currency exchange" scam. How this works is when you go to pay the USD20 for your Cambodia tourist visa, they will tell you they can't accept US dollars. Ofcourse, this is not true. What they do is tell that you must pay them in Thai baht. An example of what USD20 would be in Thai baht is around 632 Thai baht. They charge 1000 Thai baht or more. 1000 Thai baht is around $31.88 USD. Once they have the Thai baht, they convert it back to US dollars and pocket the difference. In the 1000 Thai baht example, they pocket approximately $11.88 USD. They post a sign showing the fee for a Cambodia tourist visa is USD20. They do not tell you what exchange rate they use when they force you to pay in another currency. If you ask them you will be denied an answer and denied a Cambodia tourist visa if you persist.
Scam #1 is the "pay 100 Thai baht or stay overnight". When you are exiting country, they will tell you that there is a fee of 100 Thai baht that must be paid. If you don't pay it, they tell you that you will have to stay in Cambodia overnight. There is no such fee and they are simply making it up. If you pay them this fee, they will pocket it and their employer will never get any of this money. If you refuse to pay it, they will not let you leave Cambodia.
Scam #2 is the "currency exchange" scam. How this works is when you go to pay the USD20 for your Cambodia tourist visa, they will tell you they can't accept US dollars. Ofcourse, this is not true. What they do is tell that you must pay them in Thai baht. An example of what USD20 would be in Thai baht is around 632 Thai baht. They charge 1000 Thai baht or more. 1000 Thai baht is around $31.88 USD. Once they have the Thai baht, they convert it back to US dollars and pocket the difference. In the 1000 Thai baht example, they pocket approximately $11.88 USD. They post a sign showing the fee for a Cambodia tourist visa is USD20. They do not tell you what exchange rate they use when they force you to pay in another currency. If you ask them you will be denied an answer and denied a Cambodia tourist visa if you persist.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
TWSM
Southold,New York,
USA
Horrific
#2Consumer Comment
Fri, January 27, 2012
You had to pay $3.19 to leave Cambodia? The horror! Perhaps I am just a jaded tourist but my reaction would have been "A bargain still at twice the price!". Certainly any guidebook you read must have warned you that these countries might be nice places to visit, but the countryside is in poverty and corruption is rife. I know routine graft is annoying, but perhaps you can take some consolation in the fact that at least some of that money will trickle down to the local economy, making things better for every day Cambodians.
I can see the value of publishing something like this to a travel website like Lonely Planet etc... But I am wondering what exactly you think you are going to accomplish by publishing this to rip off report? Do you think the Cambodian government will intervene? An earnest lawyer will take up your case? A groundswell of popular opinion will rise to force change? A SINGLE tourist will decide to cancel his trip to Cambodia based on the extra 12 bucks to get in and 3 bucks to get out?
Good luck gathering popular outrage here or abroad. Hope you enjoyed the trip.
