20 Common Scams in Thailand And How To Avoid Them

Thailand is one of the world’s biggest tourist destinations, and tourist hot spots always attract certain locals who earn a living off of scamming tourists. But the difference with scams in Thailand, which is also known as the “land of smiles”, is that the scammer will do it with a friendly smile on their face.

Familiarize yourself with the following scams in Thailand to avoid getting scammed out of hundreds of dollars, inconveniences and even jail.

20 SCAMS IN THAILAND TO AVOID

SCAM HOT SPOTS- BANGKOK, PHUKET AND PATTAYA

Bangkok is a major hot spot for scams in Thailand because it’s where most travelers start their first Thailand and Southeast Asia adventure, which means they have no idea what they’re doing so they’re very easily taken advantage of. Most of the scams in Bangkok are found around Khao San Road, the trashy tourist mecca, and Patpong, Bangkok’s red light district.

Pattaya and Patong in Phuket are also major hot spots for scams in Thailand, both of which are extremely notorious for sex tourism. So if creepy sex tourism isn’t your vibe, you can avoid travel to both of these places altogether, which also avoids becoming victim to many scams. There are far better places to spend your time in Thailand.

However, Bangkok shouldn’t be avoided and Khao San Road is more or less worth checking out, but you can avoid the popular scams if you’re aware of them.

TUKTUK AND TAXI SCAMS

Taxis and tuktuks do not use meters, so agree on a price before you leave. Use Grab (the Asian Uber) when possible, which makes scams, annoyances and getting lost next to impossible.

Don’t trust any absurdly low priced tuktuk ride offers in Bangkok (usually near Khao San Road) because there’s always a catch. The driver will take you to a shop along the way to your destination and if you “just look” for 5 minutes he’ll get a free carton of gas and commission on anything you buy.

However, tuktuks are an expensive rip-off in Patong in Phuket.

UNETHICAL ELEPHANT “SANCTUARIES”

If you want to visit an elephant “sanctuary”, make sure you research thoroughly because the word “sanctuary” is often used to market the organization as ethical, but really the elephants are often being ridden, chained up and beaten.

Elephants are not meant to ridden or to do tricks for entertainment. In order to train an elephant, their trainers must break their spirit (i.e. repeatedly beat them).

For some legitimately ethical elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, see here.

TERRIBLE EXCHANGE RATES

Some money exchanges will scam an extra $20+ if you don’t pay attention. Shop around for a good rate.

INSPECT YOUR CHANGE

Familiarize yourself with Thai Baht. Count your change and make sure it’s not counterfeit. Especially if intoxicated. Counterfeit Baht is most common with the 1000 Baht notes ($33US).

MOTORBIKE AND JET SKI RENTALS

There are a few different scams to be aware of when renting a motorbike or jet ski.

One of the most popular scams in Thailand is renting a scooter or jet ski with an existing scratch or defect and then being forced to pay for the damages later.

A more severe scenario involves someone following you from the rental shop, then stealing your motorbike with a spare key. You’ll be responsible for the cost of replacing the bike, which will be a massively inflated price, of course. This happened to my friend in Sri Lanka and they made him pay £800 to replace the bike because they held his passport hostage and he was flying out in a few days. However, also know that scooters in Southeast Asia only cost a few hundred dollars maximum.

In order to avoid all this, only rent motorbikes and jet skis from legitimate businesses. Check the bike or jet ski closely for scratches and problems before signing anything. Use your phone to photograph existing damage before you leave the office and ask if there’s insurance or a contract. By law, they must have basic insurance, so if they claim they don’t have insurance or a contract, walk away.

Most rental places only allow you to rent a bike or jet ski if you leave your passport. Do not hand it over your passport because they can take a copy instead.

Renting and driving a scooter for my first time in Thailand

SEX SHOW & BAR SCAMS

Thailand is one of the few places in the world where male tourists are preyed upon more than female tourists because the sex industry in Thailand is MASSIVE. Men are lured into a ping pong or go-go bar with free cover, but the drinks end up being a complete rip off. But you won’t know until you get slapped with a hefty bill, while a group of intimidating Thai men wait for payment. This is a very common scam in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket (i.e. in all the seedy sex tourist areas).

How do you avoid this? Don’t go to ping pong shows. They’re a deeply disturbing display of exploitation of women and human trafficking. Also avoid and decline any beautiful Thai girl who approaches you on the street and asks you to go to her bar of choice. She’s not actually interested in you, sorry.

ROMANCE SCAMS

Once again, Thai women are beautiful and many play the long game. Many Thai women will lure men into a long term relationship where, eventually the men will pay for their living expenses. But they may have more than one boyfriend or husband. Of course some romances are real, but you must be aware when you get involved with a local.

DRINK SPIKING

Do not accept any drink that isn’t made in front of you, even if a beautiful Thai lady is offering. This is common in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, the Thai islands and the full moon parties in Kho Pha Ngan.

“THAT ATTRACTION IS CLOSED”

This is common in Bangkok where a tuktuk driver tells you the Grand Palace (or whatever you want to see) is closed so they can take you elsewhere, where they earn commission. Always decline. A tuktuk driver may also say your accommodation is closed so he can bring you to a hotel where he’ll make commission instead.

UNSOLICITED GUIDES

That fake guide who is following you around and giving you information about a place, even after you’ve declined, is not your friend and he will demand a tip.

FAKE GEMS

Some gems are very good glass fakes and scammers will try to lure you into a “get rich quick” scam that will certainly not leave you rich. This is common in Bangkok. Do not trust a tuktuk driver or anyone off the street who approaches you about gems.

PICKPOCKETING

Always be aware of your belongings. Pickpocketing is a petty crime that can easily be avoided. If you make it easy for someone, they may take advantage of that opportunity. This is not uncommon in the touristy areas in… you guessed it- Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and the Full Moon parties at Koh Pha Ngan.

DRUG SCAMS

This is when you buy drugs from a drug dealer and then the drug dealer tells the police so you have to pay them off to avoid going to jail. And you do not want to go to jail for drugs in Thailand because you will not get out. Drug penalties are severe in Thailand.

THE TAILOR SCAM

You can get very well-made tailored clothing in Thailand; however if you choose poorly and become a victim of a tailor scam, you could end up with poor quality clothing, but also pay more for it than you would at home. Again, do not trust anyone who approaches you off the street and recommends a tailor. If you want quality tailored clothing, do your research.

BIRD SEED AND BRACELETS

You’re walking around when someone grabs your hand and puts bird seed in it or ties a bracelet around your wrist, and then you’re demanded to pay for it. However, it’s impossible to not spill the bird seed or break the bracelet to get it off, which means they expect you to pay and they will make a scene if you don’t. Avoid letting anyone touch your hand, but if it does go too far, don’t let them bully you and just walk away.

LONG NECK KAREN VILLAGE SCAMS

While these ladies are beautiful and unique, they’re Burmese refugees who are stuck in Thailand as a human zoo for tourists to take photos. So not only is it a scam, it’s also extremely unethical because it’s exploitation.

TIME SHARE SCAMS

Do not buy a time share in Thailand off anyone who approaches you on the street.

CAMBODIA BORDER CROSSING

The Thailand-Cambodia border is notorious for scams. Before you arrive at the border, the bus will stop at a place (sometimes the Cambodian Embassy) where they offer a Cambodian visa. This is unnecessary and it’s a scam because they charge more than at the border. Do not get a Cambodian visa in Thailand; only get a visa at the Cambodian border.

The visa costs $30US. There’s no processing fee for the visa, so if they ask for one, say “no” because it’s a scam. For this reason, try bring the exact change of $30US for the visa. A passport photo is required, however, if you don’t have one, it’s a $2US fee. But they may try to tell you it’s $5US so they can pocket the extra money. Again, have exact change. And if you’re traveling on a budget, that $2 passport photo fee is likely far cheaper than getting passport photos in your home country (and it’s a time saver).

If they say you must pay an exit fee, this is also a scam. There’s no exit fee for Thailand or Cambodia.

Do not pay an additional “express” stamping fee. It’s another scam and the real line isn’t nearly as long as they say.

Do not exchange any money at the border because the rates are insane and it’s yet another scam. You can wait until Siem Reap.

Take a bus that goes directly to Siem Reap, which avoids all the bus transfer scams awaiting at the Cambodian border. And it avoids wasting time and potentially money too.

Or you can fly. It’s a one hour flight instead of a 7-8+ hour bus.

VIP BUSES

This is where you pay extra for a luxurious bus, but end up on a regular bus or van, potentially without AC.

To avoid this:

Book your buses through your hostel/hotel. It’ll be more reputable because they want to avoid bad reviews and you’ll be on a bus with other tourists.
Don’t book any buses on Khao San Road in Bangkok.
Only book BKS buses, which is Thailand’s government bus company.

ABOUT THE THAI MAFIA

The local mafias in Thailand (and many other countries in Southeast Asia) are more present in every day life than you may expect and you will come across members of the mafia (likely unknowingly) in your travels in Thailand. In many areas, they run and influence everything including businesses, transportation, nightlife, prostitution and drugs. The mafia influence is especially prevalent in the super touristy areas that known for nightlife, like the party islands.

Mafia presence can look like look like a lot of the above scams, as well as mafia controlled transport in the popular Thai islands that charge 10x the fare compared to Bangkok, jet-ski and motorbike businesses demanding payment for fictional damages, go-go bar scams and much more. But it can also look like the disappearance and murders of travelers on the popular diving and party island of Koh Tao, so be very aware and cautious about which scenes you decide to get involved in. Thailand tries to sweep these events under the rug because they don’t want it effecting their tourism.

This list of scams in Thailand may seem overwhelming, but knowledge is power. For more important safety tips, see HOW TO STAY SAFE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.