Report Beware of Tourist Scams: Bangkok Named Top Hotspot for Fraud

[CCesar]

12 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Tourist destination number 1 is Thailand, but the tourists who are scammed, double priced and/or fined by the RTP will tell their family and friends and colleges at home and now Thailand is wondering why tourists don't come anymore... The result of....

The problem like with most lawbreaking issues is that the law doesn't do anything or very little about it.

[Clarkey611]

6 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

Firstly Swampy doesn't have MRT it has BTS, and yeah that's being finicky I know. Secondly Don Meung has buses to Mo Chit where you can then get on the MRT, so there is no need to have to rely on taxis.

I thought that Suvarnabhumi had the Airport Link and Don Mueang had the Red Line. Has it changed since last wek?

[CCesar]

1 hour ago, frankie machine said:

i woulda thought phuket or pattaya would have taken top honors. 

People have become super greedy, which doesn't have any limits. 

[StayinThailand2much]

17 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

This revelation comes from a recent report by the Mastercard Economics Institute, highlighted by CNBC (...)

 

Where was this report, warning me, 28 years ago? 😆 

[TigerandDog]

7 minutes ago, Clarkey611 said:

I thought that Suvarnabhumi had the Airport Link and Don Mueang had the Red Line. Has it changed since last wek?

The airport link is run by BTS, the last time I flew into Don Meung the Red Line wasn't open, so if it's open now that's even better.

[Jim Blue]

Do the temples you want to visit still " sorry  close for public holiday " as you  shut the taxi door ?

[Yagoda]

31 minutes ago, TigerandDog said:

Firstly Swampy doesn't have MRT it has BTS, and yeah that's being finicky I know. Secondly Don Meung has buses to Mo Chit where you can then get on the MRT, so there is no need to have to rely on taxis.

The train is easier, walk through the airport to the station. Red Line to Bang Sue station. Then MRT

[Yagoda]

Thjere are no scams, there are just dumb tourists.

[black tabby12345]

If they are "concerned", better apply harsh penalty to those fare scammers.

In addition, disqualification of their trade permit(e.g.revoking driving licenses).

Worsening the scammers' working condition is the shortcut.

Bad guys need to be scared.

Let them know do the right thing or land on nowhere.

[ikke1959]

13 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Thjere are no scams, there are just dumb tourists.

Indeed.. that is why the smarter ones choose another destination...

[Yagoda]

8 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Indeed.. that is why the smarter ones choose another destination...

Where is it scam free in the world?

[smedly]

wow an actual 'HUB' they can be proud of

[ChipButty]

51 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

Indeed.. that is why the smarter ones choose another destination...

Well, I've been to many places in my life I dont think I've every come across a place you're not getting scammed, even my own city, I once stayed in hotel for the weekend and on the night time I'll go downtown for a few drinks and get a taxi, leave the car at the hotel, the taxi I told him where I wanted to go, what does he do? turned the opposite way out of the hotel, hey dickhead where are you going? he would have had to go half way around the city center to get to where I wanted to be, 

[Jiggo]

This post takes me back 30 years, suppose it help the newbies.

[Iron Tongue]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Contrastively, cities like San Francisco, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest, and Edinburgh are reported to have the lowest levels of tourist fraud, offering travellers a relatively safer experience.

Oh yes, in San Francisco the businesses are definitely legit, but getting robbed at gunpoint while shopping isn't all that fun, and then you discover that your rental car has been stolen, but worse of all, you step in human faeces while walking back to your hotel.

[CygnusX1]

The most widespread scam of all is dynamic currency conversion. You have to be so careful when getting money from ATMs. Don’t rush, and read every screen thoroughly. Just this morning, I saved around $70 by not agreeing to the bank’s “‘helpful” automatic conversion to my card’s home currency - had to select “‘don’t proceed with conversion”, which was at the bottom left of the screen, and easily missed. Even some supermarkets are trying it on now, always pay in Thai baht.

[cracker1]

5 hours ago, factual monk said:

Taxi rip offs is the biggest scam in Thailand... followed by ATM withdrawals... at airport ATMs one may land up  with a higher exchange rates and also normal ATM withdrawal is around 220 thb per transaction which is very high for a long stay traveler as compared to any other country... like In Vietnam, I pay around 60 thb equivalent in VND per withdrawal transactionfrom ATM... 

then is tuk tuk... a BIG no for me... 

and Other scams or rip off depends upon what you looking for or want to indulge in... and knowledge about a place. Almost all big tourist countries have buses from airport to city center... not in Thailand... so it's a scam also so that a tourist has to get into a taxi. Luckily swarnabhumi airport has MRT... but anyone getting down at Don mueang  will get ripped off

There are good bus services from Don Mueang to the city centre and cost about 30 baht and leaving every 5 minutes.

[john11k]

Came a long way since the Buffalo was sick. !!

[Reddavy]

It should probably read Thailand number one for scams and fraud. 🤷🏼

[ChipButty]

6 hours ago, dallen52 said:

Just about everything you buy in Bangkok and many parts of Thailand is knock off copy or fake.

Even down to the women. 

And saying

"love you long time ".

My woman wasn't fake, 

[Red Forever]

7 hours ago, factual monk said:

Taxi rip offs is the biggest scam in Thailand... followed by ATM withdrawals... at airport ATMs one may land up  with a higher exchange rates and also normal ATM withdrawal is around 220 thb per transaction which is very high for a long stay traveler as compared to any other country... like In Vietnam, I pay around 60 thb equivalent in VND per withdrawal transactionfrom ATM... 

then is tuk tuk... a BIG no for me... 

and Other scams or rip off depends upon what you looking for or want to indulge in... and knowledge about a place. Almost all big tourist countries have buses from airport to city center... not in Thailand... so it's a scam also so that a tourist has to get into a taxi. Luckily swarnabhumi airport has MRT... but anyone getting down at Don mueang  will get ripped off

Swampy airport does not have MRT and those arriving at D M K have the Red Line to travel to the city centre for 40 baht.

Also, a common misconception about taxis in Bangkok are, well erm misconcepted. Recent metered taxi journeys that I have made recently from BKK to city centre have been 315 baht and 311 baht . A bargain.

[Photoguy21]

That will get the tourists coming in droves.

[ChipButty]

They are trying to scam tourist before they even arrive, with this new TDAC,  

[eastlight]

8 hours ago, frankie machine said:

i woulda thought phuket or pattaya would have taken top honors. 

Why?

[eastlight]

7 hours ago, Taboo2 said:

The Thai authorities know how to fix this scam problem...but will never do it.  And, now they are crying about the lack of tourists??  Go figure.

Go what?

[Skinny Boy]

Use Grab, Bangkok taxis have been ripping people off for as long as I can remember.

Grab is not perfect, there are scammers there too but a lot of honest people, You know the fair and thats what you pay and mostly they know where their going, unlike many

[riverhigh]

"Thailand's tourist-friendly destinations, such as Phuket, are also flagged for being prone to scams, notably in fraudulent hotel bookings"

 

I had a problem with a hotel in Bangkok which I booked through Booking.com. Reservation was for two nights.  I chose a reasonably priced hotel room close to the BTS. I arrived at the hotel and the front desk clerk told me that a person would come and show me to  my room. He put my bags into his pickup and we started driving away form the hotel. Apparently the hotel was fully booked and they wanted me to stay at a hotel miles from nowhere.  I told him in Thai to stop the pickup and return to the hotel. It got ugly. We agreed that he would find me hotel close to the BTS and he would pay for the room. The next day I returned to the hotel room which they magically found a vacancy. Surprise, surprise the room was better than the one I had reserved on Booking.com. The morale of the story is that, if possible, always book with a reputable online booking agent. Remember that hotels which rely on online booking agents have a lot more to lose than you do.  If a booking agent finds out that a hotel is not honoring the contracts they have  signed with them ...  that could be it. No more business.