In a world emerging from the shackles of a two-year global pandemic, travel has once again begun to flourish. But as this newfound freedom tempts globetrotters, the unfortunate incident involving Shane Pow, Pornsak, and Kang Chengxi in the US stands as a stark reminder of the need for heightened vigilance.
On the heels of DJ Kimberly Wang’s story of avoiding being scammed in Paris comes news that a thief targeted Pornsak, Shane Pow, and Kang Chengxi while they were in the US last month on a trip for the online selling platform Mdada which deals with designer brands such as Michael Kors and DKNY.
Mdada boss Thai-Chinese actor Pornsak, shared a clip on Wednesday of the three friends in a red convertible laughing and dancing, and looking like they were having the time of their lives on a highway.
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The three work together on Mdada, as fellow actors Pow and Kang host live stream sales.
Pornsak had also posted a photo on Instagram of the three of them on board a plane on Feb 3, writing, “#newyork Here we come! Catch us on Mdada. live on 4 Feb (Fri) at 10 pm.”
After a month of working, the three were ready for a break, Pornsak wrote.
But the most recent social media posts from all three carried some unfortunate news. The car they took on their road trip was broken into on Mar 9 while they were at Fisherman’s Wharf, a busy tourist area in San Francisco, California.
Each of the actors, including Shane Pow, took to their Instagram stories to narrate the incident. Their posts showed photos of a broken car window and shattered glass, a chilling testament to their loss—money, passports, and a plethora of electronic devices.
The thief broke into the car by smashing a window and took their money, passports, and electronic devices, among other belongings as the photos from all three showed shattered glass all over the front seat of the car.
“Kena robbed!,” wrote Pornsak in his post. “Everything’s gone! I hope the money in my bag can help the robber better his life. Maybe he needs it to save a sick child.”
Shane Pow’s sober take on it was: “So. This just happened. Lost my phone, passport, wallet, and all my valuables. Friends DM me alright for work-related stuff. I lost all my contacts.”
Kang included four crying emojis in his Instagram post, saying: “Passport, laptops, phone, iPad, cash, cards…and most importantly, memories in devices stolen.”
Poignantly, he added that it has been “a perfect trip until the last hours…and this had to happen”.
The San Francisco Examiner reported last June that car break-ins had become commonplace at Fisherman’s Wharf, so much so that locals have taken to warning tourists to never leave valuables in the car.
A spokesperson for the District Attorney told the Examiner, “Car burglaries can happen in as little as 15 seconds, which makes it very hard to catch people who commit them. Given how difficult car burglaries are to solve, we need improved strategies to prevent them from happening in the first place.”
This ordeal suffered by Shane Pow and his friends serves as a sobering reminder that while the prospect of travel revives in a post-pandemic world, caution remains a key factor in ensuring a safe journey./TISG
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