Obvious Scams To Watch Out For In Thailand

I’ve been going to Thailand for years, and along the way, I’ve learned the hard way and by watching friends get caught out that there are scams everywhere, especially in the entertainment areas. This guide runs through the most common scams and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

Some of these are obvious. Some are very clever. But if you know what to look for, you won’t become another victim.

Let’s get started.

1. Bill Padding

Number one this is more for the guys in the entertainment areas. It’s a scam called bill padding. It’s very, very common.

Basically, here’s how it works: you’re going to a bar. Unlike in Western countries particularly in England if you go to a pub in the UK, you buy a drink at the bar and pay for that drink there and then. When you go for your next drink, you pay for it again. So there’s no tab. There’s no check kept for you at the end of the evening.

That’s not the same in Thailand. All over Thailand, you’ll get a little pot in front of you. Every time you order a drink, your bill for that drink will go into the pot. When you’re ready to leave, you ask them to total the bill, and they’ll bring it across to you.

So what’s the scam? If you’ve had three beers, for instance, and you’re not really looking at the pot too closely, when they bring the whole bill back, you’ll be charged for an extra beer so there’ll be four in there instead of three.

The way to avoid this one, guys, is simple: every time they bring a check and put it into the pot, just check it and make sure it is actually for a drink that you’ve had. That’s what I do, and I’ve never been caught out.

2. The Ladies’ Drink Scam

Number two is the ladies’ drink scam. This is quite a recent one, and it’s very common.

If you go into a bar and you want to sit with someone, why not? they’ll expect you to buy them a drink. Nothing wrong with that. They’re not working there for fun; they want to be paid for their time.

In the old days, you’d go in and buy them a ladies’ drink, and they’d come back with a champagne glass filled with Coca-Cola. Quite funny, really. Later on, they got into real drinks so you buy them a drink and they’d have something like a beer or a vodka.

Here’s the new scam: The girl comes up to you and says, “Will you buy me a drink?” You agree. She comes back with a tequila and Red Bull. You’ve offered her a drink a drink as in one. She’s come back with two drinks in one glass. You don’t think anything more of it. Their drinks tend to be more expensive than ours anyway. So if the ladies’ drink is 100 baht, you’ve now been charged 200 baht, when you might have only paid 90 baht for a draught beer.

Something else to remember, guys: if you’re in a bar that has happy hour that’s a great way to save money, I do it myself just remember: ladies’ drinks in happy hour there is no happy hour for ladies’ drinks. If you’re paying half price for your draught beer, you’ll still pay full price for a ladies’ drink.

3. Leaving After You’ve Bought a Drink

Number three is along the same kind of lines. This is leaving you after you’ve bought a drink. These drinks are quite expensive.

Most guys are pretty decent; if they want to talk to a girl, they might not necessarily want to take it any further than that, but it’s nice to have a bit of company sometimes. So they’ll buy the girl a drink.

Here’s where the scam lies and I’ve seen this done to friends: she’ll come and talk to you, hold your hand, be really nice, giving you a lot of affection and attention, making you feel special. Eventually you buy her a drink. You think, “Hey, this girl’s nice, I’m going to sit with her for a while.”

The drink comes to the table. She puts the glass up to you, says “Cheers,” and then basically she disappears. She’ll say, “I’m just off to the toilet” or “I’m just gonna speak to a friend.” And that’s it you don’t see her again. She’ll come back after 10 minutes, down the drink, and ask for another one.

I tend to think of that as a scam because basically you’re paying for company and she disappears. The girls who do that they’re not good. It’s not fair.

I was with a friend this happened to, and he actually refused to pay for the drink. The mamasan came across, and he explained he spoke a little bit of Thai but he basically said, “I bought the lady a drink, she’s disappeared. I bought the drink to spend some time with her. I haven’t had any company, and I’m not paying for it.” They accepted it. So just be aware of that one.

4. The Ping-Pong Show

The next one on my list is the ping-pong show scam. This is something that catches a lot of people, even Western women.

You go to Thailand maybe it’s a couple. You know what Bangkok’s famous for. I see couples go down to Patpong because they’ve never seen it before. It’s interesting; they want to see what it’s all about. You’ll get touts outside Patpong saying, “Ping-pong show, ping-pong show!”

What will happen is they’ll say, “Ping-pong show, free drink, come in, it’s a free show.” Normally these shows go on above a bar. So you have the regular bars downstairs next to the market in Patpong, and you’ll have some stairs that go up. You can’t see what’s up there.

You’ll go up there, enter a room, and there’ll be normally a couple of girls one or two who are normally well past their sell-by date. And they don’t do this ping-pong show. You’ll go to leave, and basically they won’t let you out. They’ll demand 500 baht, 1,000 baht I’ve even seen 1,200 baht. They’ll say, “That’s your bill for the drink and the show,” which you thought were going to be free.

They’ll have a couple of heavies in there. They won’t threaten you, they won’t hit you, they won’t beat you up they’ll just stand there. What are you going to do? You’re not going to move them. They’ll just wear you down. You’re on holiday. After an hour and a half of pleading your case, you’re gonna bite the bullet, pay, and go.

Don’t get caught out by these silly ping-pong shows.

5. Baht Buses in Pattaya

The next one is more aimed at Pattaya. It’s about baht buses.

In Pattaya, it’s not common to get a private taxi like in Bangkok. What tends to happen is they have baht buses where you jump on the back, and you pay between 10 and 20 baht depending on where you stop. In Pattaya, the baht buses go around in routes basically like a shoebox route.

It’s not really a scam it’s just that you’ve got to know how these things work. A baht bus will come along, and what you should do is just jump in the back like everybody else. When you get out, pay for that one stretch.

The big mistake is to go up to the driver and tell him where you want to go, ask him how much. He’ll treat you like you’re hiring him as a private taxi. No longer is it a shared bus he’ll go directly to where you want to go, and he’ll just charge you what he wants to.

As I say, it’s not so much of a scam it’s just something not to be caught out by. Just jump on the back and pay what everybody else does.

6. Tuk-Tuks

Tuk-tuks are another bona fide bone of contention in Bangkok. Now again, it’s not well, I suppose it is a scam. But basically, you’ve really got to be careful. Don’t just jump in the back of a tuk-tuk, tell him where you want to go, and hope he’ll be reasonable. He won’t be.

They are ridiculously expensive compared to taxis. People take them I’ve taken them. They’re a lot of fun. There’s nothing like flying through Bangkok at 11 o’clock at night in the back of a tuk-tuk. But you must, you must fix your fare before you go.

Because if you don’t fix your fare, when you get to the other end, you’ll pay a lot of money. And you can’t just walk away and throw a couple hundred baht his way, because he’ll make a scene, his mates will get involved, other Thais will get involved. Believe me, guys, you’ll come off worse for wear.

Fix your price with tuk-tuks.

7. The Gem (Commission) Scam

This leads nicely into the next scam, and this definitely is a scam. It’s called the gem scam, but it’s not necessarily just gems.

What happens is a very nice tuk-tuk driver will approach you. He’ll ask where you’re from, how you are, “What team do you support? Oh, I support that team as well. I’ve got a friend who lives in your country.” Basically, he’s getting to know you, and you’ll think, “What a nice guy.”

He’ll offer to take you around the city for a little tour at a good price. The scam is that he’s on a commission. He’ll take you around to fake gem shops, tailors’ shops anywhere that’s of interest to him more than you. Because every time he pulls up at one of these businesses, he’ll get a commission maybe 100 baht. If he takes you to 12 different businesses, he makes 1,200 baht.

At the end of it, he’ll charge you what he wants to. He’ll tell you, “1,000 baht for the day because it was a tour, not just a trip.” Stay away from those kinds of tours.

Not so much now because a lot of people, because of the internet, look at these kind of videos and get educated. But just be aware of that one. Don’t go on any tuk-tuk tours you’ll come off worse for wear and end up paying a lot of money.

8. The Jetski Scam

Number eight this again is more geared towards somewhere like Pattaya. It’s the jetski scam.

Here’s how it works: they’ve got jetskis that they hire out. I’ve done it myself, but I was lucky nothing happened. You’ll ask him how much for the jetski for half an hour. Let’s just say 500 baht, 600 baht. You take the jetski off for half an hour. You don’t bump into anything. You come back, and as far as you’re concerned, that’s it.

But here’s where the scam is: the jetski is already damaged. They put a little bit of filler into a hole, cover it over with water-based paint. There’ll be deep scratches at the front where somebody else has hit rocks, filled with filler that dissolves in water, painted with paint that comes off in water. You look around the jetski looks fine. You go off. You come back. The filler and paint have gone, and there’s deep scratches or a hole. They accuse you. They want a ridiculous amount of money I’ve heard of people having to cough up 20,000 baht.

If you try to get the police involved, it’s going to cost you even more, because there probably will be mafia hanging around. You’ll end up paying 40, 50,000 baht. There’s no getting out of it.

The advice I’d give you: if you really, really need to get on a jetski, do this. Walk around the jetski with your phone, take a video, go underneath it, make sure there’s no damage or marks. If there is any scratches or damage, just show the guy who’s hiring you the video and agree that it was there already.

Another thing: just watch the jetski. When you see a foreigner go to rent it, just watch what happens. He’ll go off for half an hour, 45 minutes. When he comes back, see what happens with the owner. If they just take the jetski back, thank him, and he goes off on his business they’re probably okay.

And it’s the same with motorbikes. Just go around with a video, look at the mudguards, look underneath, film any marks, agree with the person renting it, and you should be okay when you bring it back.

9. The Taxi Meter Scam

Number nine the taxi meter scam. This is quite common and so, so irritating. This happens to me every time I’m there. They just will not put the meter on.

You’ll get in and they’ll just say “300 baht, 400 baht.” You can’t argue with them you’re not going to win. You can sit there and say, “No, put the meter on,” and occasionally they’ll do it.

I had an experience recently the last time I was in Bangkok. I got in the back of a taxi. I told him where I wanted to go. He just said, “200 baht.” I said, “No, put the meter on.” Because he’d been in the queue, he didn’t want to get in trouble they’re quite strict with taxi drivers now if they get caught doing this. He just said, “Okay, okay,” and that was the end of it.

But guys, if you get in a taxi and they don’t put the meter on there are thousands upon thousands of taxis in Bangkok don’t even say anything. Just open the door and get out, and get in the next one. You will eventually get a taxi that will put his meter on, or you can at least agree a price that you’re happy with.

10. The Tailor Scam

Number ten tailors. You’ll see a lot of Indian tailors in Bangkok, everywhere actually. Most of them are pretty decent guys. They’re very friendly, speak very good English, shake your hand, invite you into the shop. They normally get you a drink. They’ll show you the material and make you the suit. You agree the price, and that’s it.

Where the scam comes in: some material. You’ll go in and pick a couple of suits. If you know your material, you’ll pick something real nice, a little bit pricey. The scammers will say, “We need you to pay up front for it, and we’ll drop it off at your hotel we’ll deliver it.”

Basically, you pay for good quality suits up front, and they deliver inferior quality material. They always come in a bag, so you might not necessarily look at them immediately.

My advice: if you want to get yourself some suits or shirts made up and there are some great tailors in Bangkok leave a deposit. Just refuse flat, before you even get into it. Tell him, “I’m not gonna pay you up front. I’ll leave you a deposit.” Don’t let them deliver them you go back and collect them. Inspect the material once you see that it is what you’ve ordered, pay the balance, and you’ve got what you paid for.

11. The Bird Poo Scam

Number eleven here’s one you might not have heard of. It’s not common, but I have heard of it. It’s called the bird poo scam.

This normally works with two Thais. One will be carrying a squeezy bottle maybe an empty washing-up liquid bottle and they’ll put a kind of creamy white mix into it.

Here’s how it works: you’ll be walking down a busy area like Sukhumvit Road, and they’ll take this squeezy bottle with the white liquid and squeeze it on the back of your shoulder so it looks like bird poo. They tap you on the shoulder and say, “Oh, you’ve got bird poo on your shoulder. Let me help you get it off.” They take a tissue. You think, “What a nice guy a local helping out a foreigner.”

While you’re distracted looking at him doing that, and you’re feeling grateful, his partner is going through your pockets. You get pickpocketed.

If anybody ever says to you, “You’ve got bird poo on your shoulder,” thank them, take two steps back, and wipe it off yourself. Don’t get caught out by the bird poo scam.

12. The Grand Palace/Temple Scam

We’re up to number twelve already. This is the Grand Palace/temple scam.

Here’s how it works: you go to a temple it doesn’t have to be the Grand Palace, but it especially happens there. You get there early, maybe 9:30. You’re queuing, and somebody who looks quite official will approach you. They’ll say that the palace is closed for renovation, or it’s a public holiday, or a religious day, and it won’t be open for two days.

The person telling you this has got absolutely nothing to do with the temple. Once they’ve told you it’s closed, they’ll offer to take you to another palace which is just as good if not better. Fees are involved taxi fees or a tuk-tuk. You’ll miss out on your day at the Grand Palace, go off with a total stranger, and get conned.

If you go to the Grand Palace and somebody approaches you and tells you it’s closed, don’t take it on face value, because it probably isn’t, and it probably is a scam.

13. The Entry Fee Scam

And that leaves me nicely into the next one, which is the entry fee scam.

A lot of temples and sites are actually free to go in. Not all of them a lot you pay for but a lot of them are free. You’ll go to a free venue, and there’ll be a local person there who looks like an official of the attraction. He’ll have a ticket book, and he’ll charge you however much he wants to charge you to go in. You buy a ticket, and you won’t think anything of it.

That’s the scam. You’ve paid him maybe 200 baht to go in somewhere when in fact it was free. This guy has got nothing to do with the venue.

If there is a fee to go in, make sure you see Thai people paying as well to go in.

14. Fake Hotel Photos

Number fourteen this is one you can get caught out at from wherever you come from. Like everybody else, you’ll go on Agoda and look at hotels, and look at photographs. You look at the picture and think, “What a nice hotel, and that’s cheap,” and you book it. And when you get there, it’s nothing like the photographs.

I’ll give you an example. This actually happened to me. I went to Hua Hin about six months ago, and I decided I wanted something a bit nicer. I looked at the photographs of a “suite room” in Thailand, if you’ve got a sofa in the room as well as a bed, it’s classed as a suite room.

I looked at the photographs, and it looked like a huge room big windows all around, balcony. I thought, “Yeah, that’s nice.” When I got there, I was disappointed. It was a nice room, but what they’d done was go out on one balcony, open the door for the far balcony, and move back as far as they could go and take the photograph. So when you looked online, it looked like a huge room. It wasn’t.

I don’t know how you could really get around that. Reviews are a good way to go, but then again, reviews a lot of the time are made up. If you know a friend who’s been to a particular hotel and he recommends it, then you’re probably better going to stay there.

15. Bird Seed and Bracelet Scam

We’re up to number fifteen bird seed and bracelet scam.

Someone will approach you. They’ll put what they call a “friendship bracelet” around your wrist there and then. Once it’s on you, they’ll ask you for money. Same with the birds: they’ll come up with a little cage with sparrows inside. They’ll ask you to release them for good fortune, good luck. You’ll do it because they haven’t asked you for money. At the end of it whether it’s the birds or the bracelet they’ll ask for money.

If you refuse and try to give it back obviously you can’t put the birds back in the cage they’ll create a scene. In Thailand, if a Thai starts shouting or waving their arms about, it isn’t long before ten are surrounding you. You’ll end up on the ground, kicked around, and end up in hospital.

If you do get caught out with this: just smile, say “No, thank you,” and walk away. If they put something on your wrist, take it off immediately and give it to them. If you’ve got to pay 20 baht to get away, pay 20 baht. But don’t get into an argument with them.

16. The Fake Note Scam

Number sixteen the fake note scam. This is really important. It’s quite a clever one.

Here’s how it works: you go to a small shop. You give them a 1,000 baht note. They say, “This doesn’t look real. It looks like a fake note.” They go into the back room where you can’t see to inspect it. They swap your note for a real fake note. They come back and say, “Yep, this is definitely a fake.”

You lose that 1,000 baht. They have your real note. And there’s nothing you can do about it because they went in the back room and changed the note. How can you prove you didn’t give that note?

I don’t know how you’d avoid it, guys. You can’t say to somebody, “Don’t take my 1,000 baht over there.” You pay for something, and if the guy disappears, you can’t really do a lot. Hopefully you’ll have good luck and it won’t happen to you. Hasn’t happened to me, but I’ve seen it happen to other people.

17. The Sob Story Scam

Number seventeen the sob story scam. Now this is not Thais doing this scam this is foreigners.

A foreigner will approach you and say, “Oh, I’ve been robbed,” or “I left my bag in McDonald’s, my passport, my money everything’s gone. Could you help me? Could you give me 5,000, 10,000 baht? I’ll give you my address and send it back.” It’s a scam.

There was a German man he got banned from Thailand. He had an artificial leg and was using that for sympathy. He was using the money to party in Pattaya. He got caught and was thrown out of Thailand.

Because it’s a foreigner, you tend to let your guard down. You think, “A foreigner’s not going to say he lost his passport he’s probably genuine.” Don’t give them money. Just say, “If you’ve lost your wallet and passport, sorry, but I don’t bring money out with me. I’ve got a couple hundred baht. Suggest you see your embassy.”

18. The Fake Police Scam

Number eighteen the fake police scam. Now this isn’t so common, but I’ve known it to happen.

You can buy a police uniform. You can buy a police motorcycle helmet. The tailors that make the police uniforms will sell them to anybody. So they’re on their bike, you’re on your bike. They stop you. They find an excuse to fine you. What are you going to do? They’re wearing a police uniform, they’re wearing a police helmet. They tell you you’ve done something wrong. They want 500 baht. Are you going to say no?

I don’t know how you’d avoid that scam. If somebody appears to be a policeman and stops you and says you’ve done something wrong and wants 500 baht, you’d have to pay him. Again, I don’t know how you’d actually stop that.

19. Tour Scams (Islands & Safari Parks)

We’re up to number twenty now. Again, this is more for places like Koh Samet and Pattaya it’s tour scams.

You’ll pay a guy. They’ll take you out on a boat to one of the islands 1,200 baht for the day. That includes the boat ride out and back, maybe a bit of lunch. You land on the beach. Then they say, “If you want to explore the island, you have to pay a fee to walk around the island.” Your 1,200 baht was just to get to the island. What are you going to do? Refuse and sit on the beach until you go back?

Same with the safari park. They’ll charge you for the day, and then when you want to see the lions and tigers, they say, “You have to pay another 1,000 baht to go in there.”

My advice: make sure they tell you exactly what you’re gonna get. You’ll get your boat ride, you’ll get your lunch, you’ll get a free roam of the island, or to go and see the tigers. Just make sure it’s very, very clear. Don’t leave nothing to chance.

20. The Timeshare Scam

Number twenty-one the timeshare scam.

Somebody on the street will be giving out leaflets. They offer to pick you up in a minibus, free lunch, to show you. You think, “We’ve got nothing to lose. We’ll get a nice lunch. We’ll sit down and listen to their presentation. Then even if we’re not interested, they’ll bring us back.”

Here’s how the scam works: yes, they pick you up. The place they take you to is in the middle of nowhere 50 miles outside of Pattaya. There are no taxis nothing only the ones that the scammers have. You get there, you’re hard-sold by lots of people, pressurized into buying things. If you want to leave, the few taxis that are outside will be in on it, and they’ll want to charge you a huge amount of money to take you back to town.

That’s the scam.

21. Bartering Advice

Number twenty-two is not really a scam it’s just some advice from me, especially if you go out to places like markets. Make sure you barter.

In Asia it’s very common. They barter with each other. Whatever they’re asking you, especially in a place like Phuket market, aim to be paying somewhere like 25% of what they’re asking. So if they’re asking for 1,000 baht, offer them 200, and hopefully they’ll settle on 250 or 300. They expect it. You’re not making them lose face. You’re not looking like an idiot. If you don’t do it, you’ll be out of pocket.