Sunday 3 February 2013

Scams and Annoyances

Many scams are played in Siem Reap.  The annoyances are the same as other places, hecklers, beggars, traffic.  The first night we were here, and walking the streets of The Old market, a young boy of about eight years old grabbed me and kept yelling,"milk,milk," as usual I don't cave in to beggars unless I can see that is the only income they can make, so he was shoed away as usual.  The next day I was reading information on the different scams that are tossed around in the Old market and one of them is called The Milk Scam.  A young child approaches a westener, and doesn't beg for money, but pleads for milk.  The westener then goes to the mini mart or small grocery store and buys the youngster milk.  After the westener leaves the milk is returned to the store and the profits are split between the child's mother and the grocery store worker.

As sure as guns, we saw the same child the next night pulling the same scam on another female, and close behind is a pregnant mother with two younger children in tow, who is surely the mother.

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