scam

scam

touristpolice
Please report all your scams while on holiday in Thailand. We will either send our undercover team to investiage or report directly to our contact in the Tourist Police if we think that there is already enough evidence to prosecute. With your help, we can make a difference.

Latest Comments

The Golden Argosy Gem scam
hi, bibi, where are you from? will you back to bangkok to get your refund? i am ...
The Golden Argosy Gem scam
hi Rachel, is good to hear you get back your refund. i am also one of the victim...
The Golden Argosy Gem scam
sorry i should be more subtle
Drugged twice
listen lady, its understandable that you are upset about what your husband did, ...
Wrong Room Scam
hi john, almost everywhere in BKK has very nice service apt, yes I also feel tha...
Electricity Bill Scam
Yep - flip the main switch off in your room and inspect the meter. If the dial ...
The Golden Argosy Gem scam
Top tip . If anyone smiles at you in Thailand , dont trust them.
Yindee Lapidary co. Ltd
yes there are the scams and the pressure but the opportuinity to smile and say n...
The Golden Argosy Gem scam
Where is the fraudulent transaction?? You got the goods and handed over your car...
Gem and Seafood Scam In One Da...
Thanks for the story. Bangkokscans have forwarded the story to our connections a...
Stories of Scams in Bangkok and Thailand

The intention of this website is not to put Thailand in a bad light. All countries have scammers. However, we are concerned that a small minority of Thai people (and some foreigners) who are giving Thailand a bad name. If you have been scammed while on holiday in Thailand then please report this scam so that others can learn from your experience. If we can work together, we can put these scammers out of business.

toilet

What is the definition of a scam?
1. A fraudlent business scheme (noun)
2. Deprive of by deceit (verb)

There are certainly different levels of scams. Some where they will trick you to pay a few baht more. Others where they will trick you out of thousands of baht. The amount doesn't really matter. It is the fact they are defrauding you of your money by deceit. In Thailand, this is often seen when they write the real price with Thai numerals and then another inflated price in Arabic numbers.

The two priced system is quite common place in Thailand. Many foreign tourists, and even expats, complain about it as being fraudulent. However, other countries do sometimes have two prices with a discount for locals. Though the difference is that they don't try and hide this practice. Our stand on this matter is that tourist attractions are welcome to charge foreigners 100% more if they like for admission, however, they should do it in such a way that there is no deceit. It should be made clear what the different prices are so that foreign tourists (both rich and poor) can have the right to choose .

Mini Siam in Pattaya

Vimanmek Mansion

They will sometimes try and trick you about the real price by either writing it in Thai letters as above, or in Thai numbers. In this example, Mini Siam in Pattaya charges Thai adults 100 baht and foreigners (including people who live and work here) 250 baht. The above admission price seen at Vimanmek Mansion is how we would like all tourist attractions to display prices. It clearly shows that Thai adults are 75 baht and Foreigners are 100 baht. No complaints here as there is no deception.

We don't really want to dwell on the two price system. It happens and there isn't much you can do about it other than walk away. For ourselves, we no longer visit national parks in Thailand as we don't believe that they offer value for money. The admission fee is 40 baht for Thai people and 400 baht for foreigners. It doesn't matter if it is a small waterfall or a massive mountain range. It is the same price.

What we want to concentrate on here are the scams where a small minority of Thai people, and also sometimes foreigners, try to trick you out of your money. One of the most commonest scams is the Tuk Tuk Scam. If you are walking near the Grand Palace, someone will come up to you and say that it is closed at the moment for a ceremony. They then suggest you take a speciall tuk tuk ride for only 20 baht to the nearby Big Buddha and Lucky Buddha. If you fall for it, they end up taking you to tailor shops and gem shops where the tuk tuk driver gets a nice fat commission. Some people have reported that the pressure is high to buy and that the products are often overpriced. If someone tells you that a tourist attraction is closed, don't believe them. Go and see for yourself. If a Thai person comes up to you and starts speaking excellent English then be suspicious. Normally Thai people are shy and wouldn't do something like that. However, we please ask you not to be rude if you are in doubt, as this person might genuinely be trying to help you!