Stories About Thailand Travel Scams and Surprises

I enlisted in the military in 1966 and volunteered for Vietnam. I had what was called the “John Wayne syndrome” I wanted to go to war, fight, and be a hero.

There is a saying in the military that they never give you what you want. Since I volunteered for Vietnam, they sent me to England. I really enjoyed my time three years there and traveled the countryside quite a bit. It took me five years and five volunteer requests before I received orders to go to Vietnam. Whoopee I got what I asked for.

I fell in love with Vietnam, and my first thought as I jumped off the plane in the middle of a rocket attack was: “What a beautiful country it could be if we were not blown the hell out of it.”

I learned very quickly that being in combat was nothing like the war movies on television. But overall, I’ve had a charmed life. I was blown up by a sapper my first week in Vietnam having survived that, I knew I would make it home and never had a fear of death since then.

I also ended up being shot, stabbed, and bitten by a cobra. So I really do feel invincible. I think having that attitude was to my advantage throughout my life and helped me do a lot of crazy things. Looking back, I think to myself, “My God, how could I have been so stupid?” Well, you are young and dumb and believe you are invincible I was no exception.

I fought, I won, and I was awarded medals again, whoopee. When you are in combat, you never fight for the medals you fight to survive, or you save your buddies. There were no lines of color in my mind we all bled red.

I ended up doing 24 years in my military career. I was diagnosed as being a diabetic on my last day of active duty. I had been complaining for two years I wasn’t feeling right. I would go to the military hospital and they would tell me there was nothing wrong with me. On my last day of active duty, I went into a coma and was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with diabetes caused from Agent Orange.

I ended up being 100% disabled over the years with additional health problems high blood pressure, kidney failure, and heart disease. Even though I am 100% disabled, I still get around well, and traveling the world is my favorite hobby.

I was lucky in everything but love. Raised three children by myself. Once my youngest was grown and out of the house, I decided to start traveling again and went to Thailand, where I found the love of my life. We have been married for 13 years now.

I have been back to Vietnam twice and was amazed there were no hard feelings about the war and how friendly the people are. I look forward to going back again and see much more of the country.

I have also been to Laos, Philippines, Cambodia, Okinawa, Guam, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. I make a distinction between Hong Kong and China because the people of Hong Kong do not consider themselves Chinese.

I was stationed in the Philippines for three years at the base where they held the POWs from the Bataan Death March. I was in Libya five months before the U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with them very hostile environment, and one place I never want to see again.

When I went back to Cambodia, they were very unfriendly and I stayed for one night and left. So another place I do not care to go back to. In retrospect, I did make the mistake of wearing my Special Forces baseball cap so maybe that is why they were hostile towards me.

I also would like to return to England and take a visit to Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. I have also wanted to visit Moscow and see the Red Square. My wife and I want to take a trip to Burma when the pandemic settles down and they end their civil war. How ironic to be called a civil war when I have found war to be anything but civil.

I also plan to go to Bali as I want to see the Komodo dragons and the culture of Bali.

Story 2: A Digital Nomad in Silom Misunderstandings in a Pandemic Bar

Hi, you can call me Alex. I’m a black man from the West, but for privacy reasons I don’t want to share what country I’m originally from in case someone that knows me sees your videos. I’m what you would call a digital nomad, and I am in my early 30s.

Anyway, I first arrived in Thailand during this pandemic. This story is about some minor experiences I had during one week where I was staying in the Silom area of Bangkok.

Before this week, I had just spent over 80,000 baht on getting some crowns on my teeth to make them look better and whiter (80,000 baht is about £2,000 or maybe $2,200 US dollars). So I was a bit low on funds.

During this week, I did not know this at the time, but this area is full of male massage parlors and gay bars so I just laughed and walked away. As you might gather, I’m completely straight.

Anyway, at the time I was new to Bangkok and Thailand and did not know anyone. So one night I headed down to get something to eat when I saw a bar with many ladies in it and a male Thai manager standing outside. I told them I just wanted to eat and not drink, but they ushered me in and got me a menu. A bar girl came and sat down with me.

The food was from a neighboring restaurant because this bar was open illegally since it was during the pandemic. They had all the alcohol and money across the street. There was literally nothing there except furniture, a pool table, cups with alcohol, and bar girls of course.

I was not interested in this girl and just wanted my food but she was very persistent and wanted me to promise to take her out. I did not want to be rude, so I nodded in agreement with her.

After I was finished eating, I wanted a toothpick. The girl had disappeared to make a phone call, so I got up, went outside to ask the guy for a toothpick. The manager immediately wanted me to pay on the spot because he thought I was trying to leave without settling my bill which of course I wasn’t. I paid outside and just left because I was already outside and I totally forgot about the girl that was thinking I would take her with me. Also, I was a bit perplexed by the manager’s behavior, so I just left.

A couple of days later, I came back. This time the manager was nicer to me, but he was still very much on edge because he was scared of the police turning up or maybe something else.

I need to add that I don’t drink alcohol much, but I only drink a few times a week and I try to keep it down to a maximum of two because I’m scared of becoming an alcoholic which is very easy to become in Thailand for some reason.

I never went to this bar on the nights I was drinking. The days that I wanted to drink during this time in Bangkok, I always headed to a bar in Nana. This bar was close to my hotel, so I only went there in the evenings when I was lonely and not drinking and just wanted to socialize. As I said, I did not actually intend to leave her behind that night it was just the situation that made me leave the bar.

Another girl came up to me and started playing Connect Four with me. After only a few minutes, she asks for a ladies’ drink. I say no “This is what I don’t like about places like this it’s only about the money.” She immediately stands up and leaves. I paid for my soda and I left.

I regret saying this to be honest because this is a mistake. I should have just said “later” or something. Remember, as I said previously, this is during the pandemic almost everything is closed and I don’t know anyone in the city. This bar is only one of three bars in the whole city of Bangkok that I know are open at the time even though all the bars were ordered to stay shut.

The third time I came in, there were a lot more girls and customers. I could see the girls immediately started whispering to each other when I arrived since I had not taken two of the girls on two separate nights, and since this bar was in a gay area, they thought I was gay. I could see it by the way they were looking at me.

Most of the girls in this bar were certainly not the “A team” when it came to looks and many would not even have made the “B team” but they were okay to hang out with better than sitting in my hotel room alone.

This time I decided to play pool with a girl. The male bar manager comes over and tells me it’s 40 baht a game to play pool with this girl. Every time I come into this bar, they were constantly trying to make me spend money and trying to force me to buy alcohol. I am not a cheapskate at all but I don’t want to buy alcohol just to please others when I don’t want to drink. I just bought a soda every time I was there, or food and a soda. It’s not like I was there without a drink.

I really regret not going there on the nights I was drinking to show them that I was not a cheapskate and that I was not gay. If I’d gotten drunk enough, I would probably bar fine one of the girls too.

As I said earlier, they had a lot of customers there that night, and another girl was sitting with two Thai guys. She was beckoning the girl I was playing pool with to join them. The one I was playing with was hesitant for a minute but then the bar manager steps in and takes her cue, and she goes over to the table with the other girl and the two Thai guys.

The bar manager tries to take over the pool game because he also thinks I’m gay since I had not shown any interest in any of the girls on previous occasions. I throw my cue on the table and put 20 baht there instead of 40. He says it’s 40, and I tell him that she did not finish the game with me, so I’m not paying 40 baht. I then just left and never returned.

The reason I only gave 20 baht was that it was agreed that she would play pool with me and they pretty much embarrassed me in front of the whole bar. Out of principle, I’m not paying full price when she leaves mid game and has a man start playing with me.

I made a few mistakes which led to these misunderstandings, and I’ve learned from them: never go into a bar if you don’t intend to drink because then they will think you’re a cheapskate. They can’t comprehend that a person would go out just for some company. And never refuse to buy a lady drink just say “later” and save yourself the trouble. If you get on the bad side of the girls, she will poison all of the other girls against you. I managed to make two of them dislike me so it went south from then on.

Story 3: The Karaoke Bar Scam in Chiang Mai A Terrifying Ordeal

This was my second trip to Thailand. I wanted to see Chiang Mai, which I missed during my first trip, so I took a flight up there.

On my first night out in Chiang Mai, I decided to go and check out some of the local bars. I went and had some beers in the bar area around Zoe in Yellow Bar. After they closed, I didn’t know where I could go next or whether to just go back to my hotel. I overheard people talking about going to a club called Spicy, so I thought I might as well go there as I didn’t know any other place.

I was stood waiting in the taxi/tuk tuk area waiting to go to my next destination when a pretty local lady approached me and started chatting to me asking where am I from and where was I going next. I told her I wasn’t sure where I should go next and that I had overheard people talking about Club Spicy. She said she knew a good bar where her friend worked and asked if I wanted to go there with her. I agreed, and we jumped in a tuk tuk.

The tuk tuk drove for a while and dropped us off in an area I wasn’t familiar with. We went inside the bar and sat down. A girl came over who confirmed she was her friend and that she worked there, and asked if we wanted a drink. I asked for a menu which she brought over and I noticed the drinks were pretty expensive. So I ordered two beers, which were probably the cheapest thing on the menu.

The bar looked like a normal bar, but we were the only customers but I thought it might just be quiet for some reason.

Our beers came, and the waitress asked if we would like to rent a karaoke room for I think it was 2,000 baht for 20 minutes (that seems quite expensive, doesn’t it?) which I didn’t want to pay for, so I said, “No thanks.”

A couple of minutes later, she came over and said, “It’s okay you can have the karaoke room for free.” Which was tempting, because I do like a bit of karaoke so I agreed.

I went into the karaoke room on the second floor with the girl and her waitress friend. I sang a bit on the karaoke, and the girl I was with asked if I should get another beer and I agreed. She ordered in Thai, and the barman came in with a crate of beer and put them in the corner.

The waitress asked if her friend could also join us, and I said yes and the girl came in and sat in the corner. I tried to speak to her and get her to do a bit of karaoke, but she refused and didn’t speak a word of English so I didn’t see the point of her being there. She just sat in the corner and said nothing.

The girl I went in with asked if the others could have a beer, and I agreed. She then asked if I was hungry, and I said, “A little bit, yes.” She then ordered again entirely in Thai.

At this point, I needed to go to the toilet. While in the toilet, I sensed something wasn’t quite right, and I was thinking about a way out. But I had heard stories of people getting beaten up for not paying bar bills in Thailand. I was thinking about how I could just get out of that place but for now, I went back into the karaoke room.

When I got back into the room, the table was full of food it was like a banquet. They kept asking me to eat the food, but I didn’t want to. I stopped singing at this point, and my mood changed and I went quiet.

The girl I was with then asked if I wanted the bill, and I said yes. She said she would go downstairs to the bar to get it leaving all the food that she had ordered.

Two minutes later, three men came into the room holding the bill but the girl wasn’t with them. They shut the door behind them and handed me the bill. Someone had just written 12,000 baht on the top of the receipt which was not itemized.

I then laughed and said, “Is this a joke?” to which there was no reply. Twelve thousand baht for a few beers and food I didn’t eat? And what about the 20 minutes of “free” karaoke? I don’t know how much a few beers and food would normally cost in a typical bar in Thailand so I was not happy.

I then proceeded to argue with them about the price and asked them to call the police. I didn’t want to pay their made up bill. They refused to call the police and I didn’t know where I was, so I couldn’t really call them myself.

They told me that I had to pay for the girl who the waitress asked to come into the room who didn’t speak or move the whole time and also pay for the room, which I was told was for free.

Another man then came into the room so there were now four men and the waitress. At this point, I had worked out that this was all a scam and that the girl I met was working for them to bring vulnerable tourists to the bar and rack up the bill. This made me more adamant about not paying the 12,000 baht.

I tried to walk out of the room, but they were blocking my way and I didn’t want to give them an excuse to beat me up.

At one point, I was arguing with a manager, and he slapped me across the face which really got my adrenaline going.

I was sat in the corner, and one of the men proceeded to hold my arms while another was going through my pockets. I was pushing his hands away and trying to block my pockets but I was wary about not starting a physical confrontation with them, as I was in a foreign country and there were more of them, and I didn’t want to give them an excuse to assault me.

They pulled out my wallet, hotel key, and phone. One of them opened my wallet, opened the cash compartment, and pulled out all the cash in there. There was only 100 baht to his astonishment. He looked in shock at his boss, which I laughed at because I thought the game was over for them.

It wasn’t. He took my debit and credit cards down to the bar with him. He came back up two minutes later and demanded my PIN code for my cards. “Tell me your PIN codes.” I refused as anyone would and told them they could beat me up if they wanted to, but there was no way I was going to give them my PIN numbers.

The manager then went back to negotiating with me. I got him down to 3,500 baht which is still a lot for what I had, especially when they told me that the room was for free. I didn’t really want to give them anything because they tried to scam me and ruined my day but they were threatening to lock me in the room until I paid.

I was trying to call their bluff and told them to lock the door then and leave. Eventually, I agreed to pay 3,500 baht just to get out of there.

They took me downstairs, and they had closed all the shutters on the bar so there was no chance of escape. I paid with my Monzo debit card, thinking I could reverse the charge in the banking app. They then let me out of the bar and there was a driver waiting for me (and maybe also working for them).

I took a photo of the outside of the bar and tried to call the police but they saw me, came out, and threatened me. So I got in the tuk tuk and left.

On the way, the driver told me that he had picked up many other people who had also been scammed there. He dropped me off at the hotel.

It was at this point I realized what they hadn’t given me back they hadn’t given me back my room key, which also had the name of the hotel and my room number on it. So I was panicking that they could get into my room and rob me. I pleaded with the reception to change my room but they said they couldn’t until the next day. I then had to go to my room with this worry.

I went on my Monzo banking app and reversed the payment. I woke up the next day and went to the tourist police to give a statement. I told them of the scam, and they said they had many reports about this bar. They asked if I wanted them to get my money back, and I said no as I thought I had already got it back by reversing the charge.

They sent an officer out to the bar to give them a warning. To be honest, I was disappointed that all they got was a warning and that many people had filed similar reports, but the bar was allowed to carry on operating.

I left the police station and heard another story from the taxi driver about a Thai man being scammed in there for even more money than I was. I researched the karaoke bar, and there are news articles about people getting robbed one Korean guy for 160,000 baht and many negative Google reviews about being drugged, hit, knocked unconscious, then robbed. So my ordeal didn’t sound that bad compared to some other people’s.

The next day, I checked my bank and they had reversed the reversal and took the money back. This was a little lesson for me: I should have paid on my credit card. Because when you pay on credit card, you are in charge of the payment and can reverse it if fraudulent or damaged goods, etc. as opposed to a debit card, where they have control of the payment and you have to try to claim it back from their bank.

Another strange thing was that the police station refused to give me a copy of my statement on the day, saying that it was a really long process to give me a copy of it so I didn’t really have any evidence of a police report to send to my bank.

After this entire ordeal in Chiang Mai, it ruined my trip and I left immediately for another location in Thailand. I still think Thailand is a fantastic place, and most Thai people I have met have been kind and lovely people I just bumped into a bad bunch in Chiang Mai.

The karaoke bar was called Forever Karaoke when I went there, but they keep changing the name because of their bad reputation and maybe because it keeps getting closed down. It has been Star Karaoke, and it is now Valentine’s Club and Karaoke. You can Google them and read the stories and reviews. Someone has started a Facebook page to warn people about Valentine’s Club and Karaoke, and someone has made a video review on YouTube about their terrible experience there.

I definitely would avoid that place if I was you.

Story 4: An Australian Woman in Pattaya The Pool Full of Naked Men

All right, let’s get straight into this fourth story.

I am a well kept Australian woman in her 60s. I spent 2019 and 2020 traveling around Southeast Asia. I visited two old male friends from my hometown all our kids had gone to school together while I was in Thailand. They both lived with Thai women who were beautiful and very friendly with me.

Come Saturday afternoon, down at the bar with my friends drinking bourbon and telling jokes we were reminiscing and laughing and four of their friends turned up. After a few hours or so of catching up, I noticed the female partners of my friends and their friends slowly turning up sitting on their partner’s knee, popping a baby in their lap, or telling them to come home.

These lovely ladies thought perhaps I was about to run off with one of their husbands. I wish I could have told these lovely ladies I had no interest, nor would I. (We all laughed at that, actually.)

Later, I stayed in Pattaya for a few weeks. I was interested in its colorful reputation and history of how it became what it is and I wanted to see it for myself. I booked a nice hotel cabin in a complex with a pool and an Indian restaurant. On arrival, it reminded me of a holiday park in Australia.

After unpacking, I went to the pool area for a swim. No one was around. There was a stage at one end of the pool which was full of colored balls I imagine kids’ birthday parties being held there as a restaurant was attached to the pool.

I hadn’t explored or gone out to explore a 7 Eleven yet. So that evening, I thought I’d try the Indian restaurant at the pool. As I walked closer, the music was getting louder. I walked to the server and ordered a meal I hadn’t turned around at this stage. After paying, I walked to a table, sat down, and faced the swimming pool.

I was so embarrassed. It was full of men some naked and topless Thai girls. Thankfully, everyone was very busy splashing around and didn’t notice. When my meal arrived, I ate it very quickly and I scampered out. Needless to say, I never went back for a meal or a swim.

The baht buses saw me as an easy target and ripped me off all the time. It’s a bit harder as an older woman arguing with a driver but it happened everywhere I went.

Story 5: The Big Guy Who Slapped a Bar Girl And Got What He Deserved

My story goes back a few years ago when I was on one of my Thailand trips. One night about 11:00 p.m. or so, while sitting in one of the bars on Bangla Road, Phuket near the Beach Road intersection I was just watching the world go by and having a few cold beers.

So here I was, enjoying my solitude and cold beer, when three guys come into the bar. They took a table near the window but were very loud. Sometimes they would cat call to some of the girls, who ignored them as they seemed a little drunk.

One of the guys who was quite big was getting a bit annoyed at being ignored. Even the bar girls could tell there was trouble brewing. Eventually and thankfully the time came when they were getting ready to leave.

The bill was presented, and the big guy started to argue. His friends just left him there alone and didn’t even try to calm him down or drag him out of there. The bar girl was explaining the bill. The fact that eluded him was that the bar had run out of what they were drinking from memory, I think it was Chang so because of this, they drank Leo beer instead. He was adamant and refused to pay for the Leos.

The bar girl told this guy, “This is your bill. You have to pay it or I will call the police.” Now, this was a little Thai lady about five foot tall, maybe 45 kilos a tiny girl arguing with this very large guy. Unfortunately, the drink got to him and he backhanded this little lady, and she went flying.

So I in brackets, ex cop react as I walk over to confront this guy. He is yelling at this girl on the floor. The manager is now on the phone calling the police. This guy has 25 plus years, 30 kilos, and 3 inches on me. So seeing my disadvantage in the upcoming skirmish, I decided on just restraining him. As he wasn’t facing me, I jumped on his back and threw my right arm around his neck for a better hold.

Now he really got angry and starts trying to flick me off. He crashes into the bar and rams me into the wall and tries to flick me off again no good, as I now have my legs wrapped around his body and my left arm supporting my right. He starts having trouble breathing and begins to pass out. Down he goes onto the floor with me on his back.

Now, it must be said that the police in Patong are very quick at getting to wherever they want to go and they were at that bar in record time. I got whacked from behind by a couple of batons. I immediately turned and threw up my hand so I didn’t get beaten by mistake.

The manager comes forward, starts yelling and pointing at the idiot on the floor. The police are questioning her about the incident. One of the policemen makes me take a seat and was guarding me so that I could not run off. The head guy comes over and now questions me. I explain what I saw and told them that I was afraid he may further assault the serving girl so I jumped in and stopped him. I gave my statement, and he tells me to come to the station tomorrow afternoon to give a full statement. He gives me his card and to make sure I turn up, he takes my passport (which I had on me at the time).

By this time, it’s about closing time, and the police arrest this idiot and take him away. The manager gives me a drink. I’ve injured my shoulder and was rubbing it when this little lady called Apple who was now on her feet, gives me a massage. I go to leave and pay my bill, but the manager says, “No you help girl,” and she gives me another free drink and says, “Stay and eat with us.” So I stay for another hour, eating and drinking with them.

Apple is very happy I helped her. Her face is red, swollen, and she has a bit of blood from her nose and lips. The police already took photos, but she wanted more anyway.

The next afternoon, I went by the police station to give my official statement and get my passport back. The lieutenant took my statement and photo, then had me identify the guy. So I look at this guy from the night before and I think to myself, I didn’t do that damage to him. He had obviously taken a beating obviously the Thai police took offense at this large guy hitting such a little girl. I saw his photo attached to the file no damage there. His broken nose and black eye would be easy to explain.

The lieutenant thanked me for my help and apologized for the baton across my back. I just said, “It’s okay I’m just happy to help.”

Two evenings later, I went back to the bar. Apple looked better, and she told me that the police charged the guy and she received 8,000 baht for her injuries. She also said he’d get a big fine and I know that he was not leaving the police station until the fine was paid.

Apple brought me a few drinks and we hooked up for a few days. She was very boisterous and frequent in the bedroom. She was extremely nice, caring, and thankful for my help.

So for helping, I got whacked with batons from the police, had my passport taken, received some free food and a few beers however, I still had to pay full price for the girlfriend experience with Apple, if you get my drift. Right?

Story 6: The Wrong Suitcase A Lucky Break in Hua Hin

My friend and I have been to Thailand many times, and we always have a good time. We both live in Sydney, and I look forward to going over whenever we can. I’m in my 50s and my friend is in his 60s.

This particular time, we were eager to get going to have a few beers at Sydney Airport and a few on the aircraft. My friend had booked a good taxi to take us to Hua Hin from Bangkok Airport. We get to Hua Hin about 8:30 p.m., we book into our hotel, and we have booked two separate rooms.

I tell my friend that I’m going to take a shower and get changed, and I will meet him downstairs in the bar. I’ve been playing pool with some of the girls in the bar and on my third beer, still no sign of my friend. He eventually turns up and he’s still wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

I say to him, “What are you playing at?”

He tells me: when he got to his room, he opened his suitcase and realized the contents of the case wasn’t his. He picked up the wrong bag at Bangkok Airport. He’d been trying to get the hotel receptionist to ring the airline to explain the confusion. They said he would have to ring tomorrow during office hours nine to five.

He explained to the girls in the bar what had happened. “Not a problem,” one of the girls said. “Give me some money I will go to the market and buy you some clothes.” It didn’t take long, and she was back with a new wardrobe for my friend.

We were set now and ready to hit the town. We went from bar to bar and I think we ended up about 3 a.m. at the Hilton, both with a new girlfriend. (Our current 3 a.m. was really 6 a.m. with the time difference in Sydney.)

I didn’t wake up until 4 p.m. the next day. My friend was even later a mystery. He rang the airline about his suitcase but what a night!

The third day, my friend got in touch with the airline. They taxied his suitcase down to the hotel at about 7 p.m. and picked up the other suitcase and took it back. We often wonder who that case belonged to and what they did for three days.

We can’t wait for our next trip to Thailand and hope everything that is going on currently will end sooner than later.