|
On November 16 2012 08:18 felisconcolori wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2012 08:05 Sub40APM wrote:On November 16 2012 08:03 chosenkerrigan wrote:On November 16 2012 07:18 Melaine wrote:On November 16 2012 06:19 Gosi wrote:On November 16 2012 06:06 Terrix wrote:OMG WTF... So dangerous, was he in a bad part of town? Thats so scary... Hope it wasn't too bad for you mate  I doubt he was in a bad part of Shanghai since the party location and the hotel have to be paid by Blizzard, no? If so, I can't really see them being in bad areas at all. I just think it is easy to scam foreigners in China if the person is suffering from language barriers and ain't so streetsmart. there is no such thing as "good" or "bad" places in south east Asia/China......It's not like in USA rich spoiled kids can avoid certain areas and feel "safe" China has massive crime all over the place, and China is not very friendly towards UK/USA folk, seems like something Mr Bitter should of been aware of, diff if he was at a "party" China is known for doing this sort of thing to traveler's who get to drunk at parties, does not matter what area u are in at China, something you always have to be a aware of. China/North Korea and other places like these in Asia can be very scary if you don't know what you are doing, not exactly the most friendly places in our world. I been to China many times for work and you always have to be aware of people as a American/UK/Euro there. But glad to see he is ok.......these thing does happen all the time and almost 100% certain to happen act stupid or get drunk @ a party and get isolated from your group. I feel sorry for Mr.Bitter but your post is insanely misinformed. I have lived both in China and the US, and I could assure you that major cities in the U.S. like NYC, Chicago, and LA are much more dangerous than Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. It depends on your definition of safety. Drinking in a major entertainment district and then getting into a licensed cab seems a lot safer in the United States than in China. [I am going to skip the whole life experience one-up-man-ship because how do you know who I am, maybe I am the boss of the Shanghai whorehouse who ripped Mr. Bitter of and now I am just here to enjoy his humiliation because I am more of a Frodan-Roterdam fan] I find this difficult to believe. Frodan-Bitter is clearly the superior pairing. Also, cab drivers hijacking passengers for a shake down is fairly uncommon in the US. Especially with how difficult it is to become a licensed taxi driver - the major cities hold very strongly to the franchising opportunities, and in NYC especially ALL cabs are run by the city on a very tight leash. (Taking into account the push for GPS in all cabs.) Obviously, I can't say the same about Shanghai, because I don't know. But it's also something that is very commonly told to travelers - never get in an unlicensed cab, and even then don't get in without first deciding on the price/rate. As far as Mr. Bitter inviting it, only in that he was in China and is a foreigner. That may be similar everywhere, though - it could be assumed to be easier to target foreign travelers, since they won't be around after their trip is over and a criminal can probably hide until then. Or, if there's a corrupt legal system, the process can be prolonged until the traveler leaves. YMMV, and it definitely will depend on all the other factors. Glad Mr. Bitter was unharmed - and hope his casting continues to be quality throughout the upcoming BWC.
Look, I'm not saying the police are not corrupt in China. They are. However, again as I said Mr Bitter:
a) Allowed a stranger to get in the cab with him
b) Got off with stranger at a unknown destination
c) Followed a stranger to a probable "whore house"
Again, like you said, he's a victim and deserves our sympathy (even if he was looking for prostitutes) but given his actions, you can't really make a blanket judgement about the public safety of cities like Shanghai. Plenty of tourists in the US get rolled after getting drunk or visiting a hooker off craigslist too.
|
On November 16 2012 07:14 MrBitter wrote:
Hey guys,
I'm more embarrassed about this whole situation than anything else. Here's the story.
There is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. I'm not even sure why you think so. Yes it's better to travel in groups and if you had had amazing reaction times you might have been able to ditch the cab right when the guy entered, but you did good. Anyone would have frozen for bit of WTF time in a situation like that.
For those asking why the robbers were so nice it's about maintaining a civilized and plausible veneer. Pointing a gun at someone is not something the police can ignore. But if they just imply the threat of violence then the entire event can be explained away as this foreigner sharing a cab and going on a spending spree in a bad part of town. They can say, "Did anyone point a gun at you? No?" Think about how much harder that is to prosecute from the police point of view.
|
On November 16 2012 08:24 malaan wrote:
man, a similar thing happenned (actually, almost identical) to a guy I worked with a few years ago. Bunch of chinese guys got in his cab, tipped the driver, they took him to a shady whore house, beat him up and stole his watch (rolex) and wallet (few hundred bucks in cash).
You got off way better... he lost a 8k watch, 2 broken ribs and a couple of missing teeth :/
Don't forget, any major city is dangerous. It has nothing to do with certain countries.
But, China has 'taxi inspectors' that are supposed to warn and assist forreigners in the 'rougher' regions. Perhaps you just got unlucky. It's actually more common than you think.
Just curious, was your friend Caucasian?
|
Foreigners in China are always targets for thievery. Shanghai is definitely a hotpot for gangs and thieves, but robbing someone and forcing him to withdraw $2000 is pretty rare...
btw if you get caught in China committing a robbery (especially a noticeable foreigner). The punishment is very severe.
I've lived in China for over a decade, only been to Shanghai a few times, but this kinda of thing is definitely rare... hope everything is well with MrBitter
|
Sorry to hear that mr. bitter. Good to know you are alright and safe though.
On November 16 2012 08:16 Slackzftw wrote:
Why did he do that, just tell them you have no money or just do like you dont even speak english. "Mich nixe verstehen!"
Worst thing would have been to get beat up, but I rather get beat up than lose 2000$.
They certainly do not care if you don't speak English because they probably don't speak that language themselves. Money is the language everyone understands.
|
That's messed up, glad no physical harm was done though.
|
On November 16 2012 08:16 Slackzftw wrote:
Why did he do that, just tell them you have no money or just do like you dont even speak english. "Mich nixe verstehen!"
Worst thing would have been to get beat up, but I rather get beat up than lose 2000$.
Chances are, getting beat up is the least of his concern, he probably could have been killed (remember, this is china). Saying you would do something and actually being in the situation is totally different.
|
@MrBitter
Don't blame yourself for that. Afterwards you can always find things you could have done differently. No matter what you do there is always a small risk for you. Live your life without fear and if an unlucky situation appears just deal with it and move on (like you did). Sometimes shit just happens. Saying it was stupid to be alone there is not the right way imho.
I really would advice to go to the police. Just that you officially called that in might help a lot. The bank might cancel the payment, they could investigate where the money is going to, maybe the bank has some insurance for stolen money etc. I would just take the time for that.
Like at a car accident. If you don't report it then the insurance probably won't pay.
|
300$ limit for withdrawal of cash i guess? it might be a different limit for transactions. If you're lucky you might get back the 1600$. Usually you have some kind of insurance...
sorry to hear that this happened to you.. ive been to shanghai once because my father works there and im gonna be there for christmas. I wont take a cab for sure... good thing my father has a driver.
I guess the only thing you could have done was to react faster and get out of the cab immediately or call a cab instead of taking one.
|
On November 16 2012 08:28 openbox1 wrote:
Look, I'm not saying the police are not corrupt in China. They are. However, again as I said Mr Bitter:
a) Allowed a stranger to get in the cab with him
b) Got off with stranger at a unknown destination
c) Followed a stranger to a probable "whore house"
You're being ridiculous. The only plausible thing he could have done was jump out of the cab before it started moving and if you really enter every cab on high alert ready to spring into action then good on you. This type of thing would be exceptionally rare in NYC and the police wouldn't ignore it afterwards either.
|
On November 16 2012 08:33 SpikeStarcraft wrote:
300$ limit for withdrawal of cash i guess? it might be a different limit for transactions. If you're lucky you might get back the 1600$. Usually you have some kind of insurance...
sorry to hear that this happened to you.. ive been to shanghai once because my father works there and im gonna be there for christmas. I wont take a cab for sure... good thing my father has a driver.
I guess the only thing you could have done was to react faster and get out of the cab immediately or call a cab instead of taking one.
Getting money back from a debit card is a huge pain in the ass. Its not like a credit card where the charges are just cancelled and the bank can just say a big FU to the merchant.
Money can be reimbursed especially since most of the charges are from a Pin transaction and you weren't the person to physically withdraw money according to your post. But you're looking at a long process and you will definitely need a police report to file the reimbursement claim.
|
well. sucks that you lost your money but at least you got a good story out of it.
edit: actually I'm picturing mr bitter trying to talk to chinese gangsters in his annoyed-married-to-rotti voice and it's kind of amusing
|
BTW MrBitter, make sure you bring it up and complain to your Chinese host. WCS is hosted by 163.net IIRC and they have some pull in Shanghai. Pretty sure they'd be on top of it to avoid losing face.
And get a new hotel
|
Been sitting here f5ing this thread for the past like, 3 hours.
Appreciate all the comments and support, guys.
I will see about filing a police report today.
Not going to expect much, and honestly am just very glad to be safe back at the hotel.
On November 16 2012 08:39 renlynn wrote:
well. sucks that you lost your money but at least you got a good story out of it.
edit: actually I'm picturing mr bitter trying to talk to chinese gangsters in his annoyed-married-to-rotti voice and it's kind of amusing
Pretty much exactly how it went down.
|
On November 16 2012 08:35 JackDT wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2012 08:28 openbox1 wrote:
Look, I'm not saying the police are not corrupt in China. They are. However, again as I said Mr Bitter:
a) Allowed a stranger to get in the cab with him
b) Got off with stranger at a unknown destination
c) Followed a stranger to a probable "whore house"
You're being ridiculous. The only plausible thing he could have done was jump out of the cab before it started moving and if you really enter every cab on high alert ready to spring into action then good on you. This type of thing would be exceptionally rare in NYC and the police wouldn't ignore it afterwards either.
Read his post on the 3rd page, even he says he could have walked away at two points.
But like I said, he deserves sympathy and the bastards who did this to him are assholes but he kinda made a series of dumb and dumber mistakes too.
Police will take a report but I can guarantee you that the Shanghai Gong-an is not going to move mountains and rivers to hunt down the criminals either.
|
On November 16 2012 08:41 openbox1 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2012 08:35 JackDT wrote:On November 16 2012 08:28 openbox1 wrote:
Look, I'm not saying the police are not corrupt in China. They are. However, again as I said Mr Bitter:
a) Allowed a stranger to get in the cab with him
b) Got off with stranger at a unknown destination
c) Followed a stranger to a probable "whore house"
You're being ridiculous. The only plausible thing he could have done was jump out of the cab before it started moving and if you really enter every cab on high alert ready to spring into action then good on you. This type of thing would be exceptionally rare in NYC and the police wouldn't ignore it afterwards either. Read his post on the 3rd page, even he says he could have walked away at two points. But like I said, he deserves sympathy and the bastards who did this to him are assholes but he kinda made a series of dumb and dumber mistakes too. Police will take a report but I can guarantee you that the Shanghai Gong-an is not going to move mountains and rivers to hunt down the criminals either.
Was seriously 100% my bad. I had a total wtf brain fart when the dude got in the cab, and when we stopped I was just kinda scared...
Would obviously have done a lot different if I could do it over, but that's why we say hindsight is 20/20.
|
On November 16 2012 08:41 ragz_gt wrote:
BTW MrBitter, make sure you bring it up and complain to your Chinese host. WCS is hosted by 163.net IIRC and they have some pull in Shanghai. Pretty sure they'd be on top of it to avoid losing face.
And get a new hotel
Yeah get a new hotel.
|
On November 16 2012 08:41 MrBitter wrote:
Been sitting here f5ing this thread for the past like, 3 hours.
Appreciate all the comments and support, guys.
I will see about filing a police report today.
Not going to expect much, and honestly am just very glad to be safe back at the hotel.
Just make sure to follow up quickly with your original bank. Right now since you're safe and sound, you just want to prioritize minimizing your losses since with the proper steps you can get full reimbursement. Ask your bank for all documents to file a reimbursement claim and get documentation from the police that you have filed a report with local law enforcement. Make very sure that the police report copy contains details of all transaction amounts and times.
The police will do nothing but you still need the paper to work with your bank.
Use skype to call since all US 1800 numbers are free with an internet connection and hold times are going to be killer. Also, probably paranoid, but card scanners were quite frequent a few years back so in case they had your wallet in their possession, you might want to cancel all credit cards and file for replacements with new numbers. I assume you've already canceled the debit card in question.
|
Title is slightly misleading, at least to me. Being mugged in the UK means a slightly different thing, this sounded a whole lot worse of a situation, but Bitter wasn't physically "mugged", thankfully. It sounds like Bitter made all the correct decisions in that situation. If you'd of stayed drinking a bit longer and left alone, you could of been a whole lot more out of it under the same sticky situation, and that would of been bad.
|
On November 16 2012 08:47 openbox1 wrote:Show nested quote +On November 16 2012 08:41 MrBitter wrote:
Been sitting here f5ing this thread for the past like, 3 hours.
Appreciate all the comments and support, guys.
I will see about filing a police report today.
Not going to expect much, and honestly am just very glad to be safe back at the hotel. Just make sure to follow up quickly with your original bank. Right now since you're safe and sound, you just want to prioritize minimizing your losses since with the proper steps you can get full reimbursement. Ask your bank for all documents to file a reimbursement claim and get documentation from the police that you have filed a report with local law enforcement. Make very sure that the police report copy contains details of all transaction amounts and times. The police will do nothing but you still need the paper to work with your bank. Use skype to call since all US 1800 numbers are free with an internet connection and hold times are going to be killer. Also, probably paranoid, but card scanners were quite frequent a few years back so in case they had your wallet in their possession, you might want to cancel all credit cards and file for replacements with new numbers. I assume you've already canceled the debit card in question.
First thing I did when I got back to the hotel was call my bank, so that process is already underway. Card is also cancelled.
On November 16 2012 08:49 WArped wrote:
Title is slightly misleading, at least to me. Being mugged in the UK means a slightly different thing, this sounded a whole lot worse of a situation, but Bitter wasn't physically "mugged", thankfully. It sounds like Bitter made all the correct decisions in that situation. If you'd of stayed drinking a bit longer and left alone, you could of been a whole lot more out of it under the same sticky situation, and that would of been bad.
Yes, wasn't really mugged. I think fleeced might be a better term.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
