Phuket rider accused of seeking payment to return tourist’s lost phone
A Phuket rider faced online criticism after allegedly demanding 5,000 baht from a foreign tourist to return a lost phone, with an audio clip of the exchange spreading on social media.
A rider in Phuket was criticised online after allegedly asking a foreign tourist for 5,000 baht to return a lost mobile phone, according to a report shared by Phuket Times on June 13.
The tourist reportedly lost the phone before it was found by the rider. When a Thai representative helping the tourist contacted the man to retrieve it, he allegedly demanded 5,000 baht in exchange for returning the device.
An audio clip circulated on social media and was reported to capture the conversation between the tourist’s representative and the man who said he had found the phone. In the recording, the rider allegedly first asked for 5,000 baht. The representative then negotiated the amount down to 2,000 baht and later to 1,500 baht.
The representative also asked where the phone could be collected if no payment was made. The rider allegedly replied that he would leave it there and that the owner could search for it themselves. When asked where exactly it would be left, he reportedly said he did not know and that it would be wherever he left it.
According to the report, the rider said he had travelled from Thalang and wanted money for fuel or a gesture of thanks. He also said he had not stolen the phone and added that throwing it away would leave him with nothing.
After the clip spread online, many commenters criticised the rider, Khaosod reported. Some said lost property should be returned without a fixed payment demand. Others said a finder could reasonably receive travel costs or a token of appreciation for making an effort to return an item, but argued that this should not be set as a condition.
The incident remained widely discussed online, with calls for the facts to be checked and for fairness to all parties involved.
