In front of tourist attractions, harbours, train stations, etc. there are fraudsters (touts) who pretend to be someone official (e.g. from the tourism authority) with fake ID or even fake clothes in order to sell you overpriced tickets. E.g. entrance tickets for a temple, long clothes that you have to wear in the temple or tell you the story of the temple that is unfortunately closed today and then rip you off with a coffee ride. Every time a stranger in Thailand addresses you in English in a tourist area without expecting it (no stall of his in sight, has no goods to offer, etc. pretends to be a teacher or reporter or something else), be careful.

TukTuks are these cute little three-wheelers with a motor. TuksTuks do not have a taximeter. Fixed prices would be a maximum of 40 baht per kilometre.
However, up to 5000 baht are called. Although even air-conditioned and more comfortable, taxis are usually cheaper.

The driver of the motorised tricycle offers you a very cheap city tour. This ends up being a coffee ride. After all, in the end you really only have to pay the cheap tuk-tuk price, but you may have had to sit for an hour with a tailor or be persuaded to buy overpriced necklaces by a dozen salespeople in a gold shop.

For a river crossing to the other side or a river tour, there are cheap options that cost between 15 and 40 baht. Right next to the official landing stages along the river, scammers are waiting to offer you other tours by accomplices for a hundred times the price. Instead of 15 baht, you pay 1500 baht up to 5000 baht. No upper limit. The official river boats are big and have a flag on the stern (orange, yellow, green or blue).

ATMs show you on the display whether you accept an "automatic currency conversion". If you agree, the exchange rate of the ATM will be used instead of the exchange rate of your credit card provider. This is up to 10% worse. If you withdraw €1000 in cash, you could lose up to €100.

This is most likely to be the case for jet ski rental.
Rarely for scooters, cars.
After returning the vehicle, old damage to the vehicle will be charged as if you caused it. Take pictures and videos of the vehicle before signing the contract. Avoid jet skis.


In tourist areas, sometimes no receipts are issued because.
because you have been charged a higher amount which the salesperson puts into his/her own pocket.
So the water and the kaugumi simply cost twice as much. You dont notice it directly because of the different currency.
But when you simply convert, you usually realise it too late.

Thats what happens in 7-Elevens and FamilyMarts. Sometimes in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok. Always ask for the receipt before paying. Easier said than done, you forget things like that pretty quickly. All the more annoying when you notice it and are too shy to go back to the shop and ask, especially because you didnt get a receipt in such a fraud case. Deliberately, of course, so as not to be able to prove anything.

But its much more annoying in restaurants, for things you didnt order.
In bars, the bills are stuffed into a small cup with every drink ordered. Check the number of drinks as soon as the new slip of paper (the bill) is brought.


Restaurants without a price list (menu card) end up calling out moon prices.


Never buy anything where the price is not agreed or very clear.
Taxi rides or restaurant visits, whatever. If the price is not quite clear, a bottle of water in a sky bar can be charged hundreds of euros or a 2 minute TukTuk ride can cost 50€. Such is the case in a ping-pong show.


Generally fraud, prices per beer or mark-up for watching the show are concealed until you leave the bar. Several hundred euros are demanded. Usually the money is collected aggressively.


Invented strokes of fate with the intention of obtaining financial support are told (fairy tales). Commonly known as the love caster, the lovelorn men fall for it. The latter, trusting in a future love relationship, gladly pays without or despite the knowledge that it is only about money. Often this happens to several men with the same woman in the same period of time. It is not uncommon for higher monthly amounts to be involved.


Especially in budget hotels, there are always reports that an old towel allegedly has stains that cannot be washed out and that you have caused. Then payments are demanded. Approx. 10 €. It rarely happens, but it is annoying. The same thing happens with bed linen and the like. Happens only in bad hotels, mostly in privately run hotels.


In tourist areas, in restaurants or during taxi rides, people deliberately give the wrong change. You get back less change than you are entitled to.


You only have a 1000Baht note. The TukTuk driver cannot give change. He calls a friend who can change the money. But he only gives you back a total of800 Baht in smaller notes.


A small amount for example 80 Baht is paid with a 1000 Baht note. You get 20 baht change back. When asked, they lie that they only gave a 100 baht note. The solution would be to always say "1000 baht" or similar before handing over the money.


Arrive at airport and book by mini-bus to hotel. Bus stops at travel agency and the person at the desk asks for the name of the hotel. This is still normal because the buses take you to the hotel and of course they need to know. But they try to talk you into a hotel room. Also by lying if you have ended up with scammers, that your already booked hotel is unfortunately overbooked and therefore occupied. Just say you have a hotel that fits. Then everyone gets back on the minibus and the journey continues. So a stopover at the travel agency is normal to tell them the name of the hotel. In the last few years, the rip-offs have become less and they try to find you a hotel without cheating, if you dont have one yet. But of course with a surcharge.


Especially common on the big buses, during the toilet break, criminals from the bus company rummage through the suitcases and bags in the luggage compartment and steal anything that might be valuable. This happens especially often on booked bus trips from KhaoSan Road to Phuket or other destinations. Do not leave valuables on the bus, always carry them with you.
Generally, you dont need a travel agency for a trip on the big buses (overland trip). You can buy a ticket yourself at the bus stops at Schalter. The bus network in Thailand is very good. You dont even have to book a ticket unless you are taking the last bus of the day.


Travel agencies are reliable and dont really cheat in that sense. Its more the price that can be annoying. Buses, hotels, flights, it doesnt matter there is a high mark-up. If you can live with it or only use it once for a minibus, e.g. from KhaoSan Road to Pattaya, you can do so with a clear conscience. It is only when tourists book everything including a hotel at a travel agency on KhaoSan Road that the price goes up.