I can't see how this is possible - they are real strict with MC and Visa in Germany.

 

My credit cards are both German issued. For safety reasons they're set for much lower transactions. I'd have to adjust the settings to charge €4k. And either way they'd want a 2-way authentication/issue email warning if I were to do so, or for any charge above €100, and for the first transaction in a foreign country as well.

 

I also get all my charges done in THB. The CCs offer better forex rates than the 'dynamic' rates often offered, which are dynamically to the payee's DISadvantage.

 

Odd story. But then again, despite my inborn vanity, I accepted my semi-baldness as a natural part of aging/dying. And I ignored the sub-continental Pattaya Pests who wanted to help me lose my moderate paunch as well. Metformin does just as well as their 'potions' 555

6 hours ago, Nickcage49 said:

What a chump!

 

Don't go to the police. If you're that stupid you deserve what you get man.

so where do you suggest he should go, wiseass? The godfather?

11 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

I can't see how this is possible - they are real strict with MC and Visa in Germany.

 

My credit cards are both German issued. For safety reasons they're set for much lower transactions. I'd have to adjust the settings to charge €4k. And either way they'd want a 2-way authentication/issue email warning if I were to do so, or for any charge above €100, and for the first transaction in a foreign country as well.

 

I also get all my charges done in THB. The CCs offer better forex rates than the 'dynamic' rates often offered, which are dynamically to the payee's DISadvantage.

 

Odd story. But then again, despite my inborn vanity, I accepted my semi-baldness as a natural part of aging/dying. And I ignored the sub-continental Pattaya Pests who wanted to help me lose my moderate paunch as well. Metformin does just as well as their 'potions' 555

my credit cards text me for large purchases also.  I am not sure the large amounts threshold, and they certainly text me now and then for purchases I make that might be out of state from where I live, or things like that.  For instance, I just bought something  online from a local Best Buy store, but the billing for the store actually goes to some corporate location.  Apparently that is what happens when you buy things online.  The purchase is not rung up in that local store.   I will check my account settings for the large amounts.  I know my EVA air ticket for Thailand purchase was texted to me for confirmation and approval and that was $2,500 USD

38 minutes ago, diveasia666 said:

so where do you suggest he should go, wiseass? The godfather?

Well, he could take a late night stroll along Beach Rd, then file an insurance claim for some Golden bling !😁

On 11/13/2025 at 10:40 AM, Woke to Sounds said:

 

Work visa?

Is a work permit needed to talk to a tourist on the street and make recommendation for a purchase from a shop?  Many of those "foreigners" actually have Thai citizenship.

Quote

was approached by a foreign vendor / The suspect, described as a man appearing to be from the Middle East, reportedly persuaded him to follow him to a nearby shop.

Here, his alarm bells should have already rung.

I suppose he got hooked like a fish right up until the sale.

 

Whenever I have visited Pattaya I have found that my attractiveness to ladies did not depend on the number of hairs on my head, but rather on the number of Baht in my wallet.

Poor guy, that's a scam to be aware of. These card machines certainly show the amount, but do these all also show the currency? 

 

In Thailand I always pay cash. Maybe that's a good habit?

Cash is king

5 hours ago, gk10012001 said:

my credit cards text me for large purchases also.  I am not sure the large amounts threshold, and they certainly text me now and then for purchases I make that might be out of state from where I live, or things like that.  For instance, I just bought something  online from a local Best Buy store, but the billing for the store actually goes to some corporate location.  Apparently that is what happens when you buy things online.  The purchase is not rung up in that local store.   I will check my account settings for the large amounts.  I know my EVA air ticket for Thailand purchase was texted to me for confirmation and approval and that was $2,500 USD

Is it not the case that texted confirmations tend to be only for "customer not present" purchases? As the guy was in the store then he would likely not receive a text?

1 hour ago, Homburg said:

Is it not the case that texted confirmations tend to be only for "customer not present" purchases? As the guy was in the store then he would likely not receive a text?

i get them even in store

I always use cash or a debit card with no overdraft from an online bank with limited funds in it upto the amount I want to spend. I would transfer in say 4,400 baht worth of usd (fees etc) and if they try 140,000 baht gets rejected.

 

Never hand over a credit card in Asia like that.

On 11/12/2025 at 7:30 PM, norsurin said:

In my country u have to put the amount by urself before confirm the amount.

WHich country is that? Is it a tourist friendly country?

On 11/12/2025 at 1:14 PM, Georgealbert said:

 

Pictures courtesy of Pattaya News

 

A 52-year-old German tourist has filed a police complaint after allegedly being deceived into paying 140,000 baht for five bottles of so-called “miracle” herbal hair oil in Pattaya. The incident occurred late on November 12, 2025, when the tourist, identified as Mr. Nadir Altaf, was approached by a foreign vendor promoting a hair-restoring product. The suspect, described as a man appearing to be from the Middle East, reportedly persuaded him to follow him to a nearby shop.

 

Mr. Altaf told police that he was quoted a price of “4,000,” which he believed referred to Thai baht. However, after completing the transaction with his credit card, he realised he had been charged 4,000 euros, equivalent to approximately 140,000 baht. “I felt cheated the moment I saw the amount,” he told investigators, adding, “This is unfair, and I want justice.”

 

Duty officer Lieutenant Phu Pha Hongyakun at Pattaya City Police Station confirmed that a report was filed at 22:05. The officer said an investigation team had been assigned to locate the shop and identify the vendor involved. Authorities stated that the matter would be handled impartially and that efforts were underway to recover the funds or press charges if wrongdoing was found.

 

Scams targeting tourists in Pattaya have been a recurring problem, police sources acknowledged. Incidents involving overpriced or misrepresented herbal products occur almost daily, though many victims choose not to report them. Others who do file complaints sometimes recover their money after police intervention.

 

Police have conducted several raids in response to such schemes, leading to arrests and shop closures in some cases. However, the persistence of these fraudulent sales tactics highlights the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in protecting tourists. Investigators are now reviewing CCTV footage and coordinating with financial institutions to trace the payment.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• A German tourist in Pattaya was charged 4,000 euros instead of 4,000 baht for herbal hair oil.

• Police are investigating the shop and vendor involved in the alleged scam.

• Similar fraudulent sales have been reported frequently in Pattaya in recent years.

 

Related Stories

 

Australian-tourist-scammed-by-foreign-herbal-medicine-gang

 

British-tourist-tricked-in-Pattaya-herbal-remedy-scam

 

  Adapted  by  Asean  Now from Pattayanews 2025-11-13

 

 

 

 

Foreign vendor? Must be on legal work visa and easy to catch:):)

Hair today,gone tomorrow.

I have some brain development serum ,which i think he needs 

only 2000 ....thats dollars a bottle ,could save him a lot of money

in the future if he comes in contact with scammers....

 

regards worgeordie

On 11/14/2025 at 3:03 AM, Liverpool Lou said:

Is a work permit needed to talk to a tourist on the street and make recommendation for a purchase from a shop?  Many of those "foreigners" actually have Thai citizenship.

 

Ya think, just mayyyybe, the Middle Eastern looking guy who convinced the German idiot to go the shop to buy the hair tonic just might've been a confederate?  Employed by or in cahoots with the shop owner?

 

Or maybe the Middle Eastern guy IS the shop owner?

 

D'ya think?

 

Maybe?

 

🤣

12 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

On 11/14/2025 at 4:03 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Is a work permit needed to talk to a tourist on the street and make recommendation for a purchase from a shop?  Many of those "foreigners" actually have Thai citizenship.

 

Ya think, just mayyyybe, the Middle Eastern looking guy who convinced the German idiot to go the shop to buy the hair tonic just might've been a confederate?  Employed by or in cahoots with the shop owner?

 

Or maybe the Middle Eastern guy IS the shop owner?

 

D'ya think?

 

Maybe?

Maybe, yes.   Still doesn't need a work permit to speak to someone on the street and make suggestions of good places to shop.

On 11/13/2025 at 7:13 AM, thesetat said:

Come on mate. You can not blame the foreigner in this case. Unless he had to sign for the credit card  slip. If the shop says 4000 baht and then charges on your card 4000 EU. Without your explicit knowledge such a transaction occurred then that is a robbery. Not just being scammed. 

I hope the man can get his bank to recall the transaction and not pay it for his sake. With a police report he may be able to have that done. 

But the police hsould have acted swiftly in arresting those foreigners in the shop once the police report was made. Yet the OP says nothing about police action taken against the shop or workers. A shame and a sham. Since this herbal overpricing scam has been happening for more than a year with many cases of it in the news, I wonder if the shop has close ties with the local PD to stop their interference and prevent them from taking action. 

I think that’s at the heart of the scam. He didn’t say 4000 baht. The victim confirmed he only said 4000, and the rest is assumption. Misleading but not fraudulent 

On 11/12/2025 at 10:14 PM, Georgealbert said:

A German tourist in Pattaya was charged 4,000 euros instead of 4,000 baht for herbal hair oil

 

I wonder if he wants to invest in my new Tartan paint factory.

 

 

Why would anyone even considering buying a haircare product (of all things) from some random stranger that approaches them on the street?  You don't need to be a rocket surgeon to know it's obviously some kind of scam.