If you live at or near a major tourist spot anyone striking up a conversation with you  is very likely to try to scam you into buying something or waste money in some other way. Even westerners may be trying to earn extra travel money by working as scam artists.

Of course there are honest people as well; some teachers occasionally send their students out to exactly these touristed areas with the assignment to go gain some experience by interviewing a native speaker. You can usually tell the difference in approach. The scammer is nearly always the fairly professional looking, jovial kind of type speaking good English telling you all kinds of hogwash with a smile. Honest people in Asia nearly always have a level of shyness about them.  As for public transport providers such as taxis and TukTuks, never take one that's waiting around hustling for business rather than driving around doing his job. They're not dangerous, they're just more hassle than they're worth.

Here are some of the scams you should be aware of:

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TAT Bus and train ticket scam:

TAT is the Tourism Authority of Thailand. They do not operate any travel and tour agencies in Thailand! And they do not have agents wandering around bus and train stations to assist travelers! They do not sell anything! TAT only promotes tourism in Thailand to both the domestic and international markets.

This is the scam:

You want a ticket for a bus or a train and you arrive at the station, looking like a tourist (does any tourist ever consider how their experience in Thailand might change for the better if they wore long pants and a collared shirt? :-). You spot the ticket windows and start walking in that direction when you are intercepted by a pleasant individual possibly displaying what is a bogus ID card saying they are with the TAT. They'll ask you where you are going, inform you that the route is sold out but what good luck for you they have a TAT travel agency across the street that can take care of you! So you head across the street, see the TAT license and assume you've been told the truth - that this is a TAT travel agency. But what you don't know is that TAT doesn't operate any travel agencies, only licenses them with the criteria being little more than the agencies ability to comply with a few bureaucratic requirements. Inside the agency, the pleasant people will sell you an over priced bus ticket on a private "VIP" bus. And as most people who fall for this scam report, the VIP bus stands for Very Inferior Product, the trip was one hassle after another that would be a true comedy of errors if it wasn't all intentional and what kind of operation is this TAT running anyway?

So what you do is:

When you go to the train or bus station to buy a ticket somewhere make sure you go straight to the ticket windows and ignore anybody that tries to prevent you from reaching those windows no matter what they may say. The only person that can tell you with any authority or veracity that a route is sold out is the person behind the window!!

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TukTuks, taxis and motorbike taxis who tries to rip you off!

Make sure the driver agrees in a fixed fare before you enter. If you don't do this, then the driver will most likely charge you the double or triple of the normal rate! If it's a taxi ask the driver to use the meter! If he refuses just catch another one!

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Taxi Scams:

If you're in Thailand enjoying a wonderful vacation and don't want too much hassles and don't mind paying a little extra taxi fares, then skip this part :-) Anyway, the taxi fares in Thailand are quite affordable compared to your home country, right? But if you're an expat living and working in Land Of Smiles then it might be a good idea to check this out!

Some metered taxis just take you around in circles while the meter is ticking until finally you reach your destination! If you don't know your way around in say Bangkok well .... then there is not much to do about it! At least make sure you have a map with you and if you find that the driver is scamming you, try and negotiate the fare! Best thing to do is to negotiate a fixed price beforehand! And make sure the driver knows where you want to go! Eventually ask the reception at your hotel or at a travel agency to write down the address in Thai, so the driver understands!

Some taxis agree in a low fare but in return they want to drive you to their brother's shop or his uncle's tailor shop for shopping. This way the driver will earn a commission and you will get ripped off by the shop owners! Don't agree in this!!

Some taxis agree in a low fare, but then he drives you to the wrong destination.....somewhere out in no-man's-land....and then the driver ask you a heavy fare to drive you to the correct destination! If you refuse, well .... then you you'll have to find another taxi! Avoid this by asking the reception at your hotel or at a travel agency to write down the address in Thai, so the driver understands!

When traveling on taxi, visitors/tourists usually put their bags in the boot. When they arrive at their destination and pay the fare, some dishonest drivers drive away with the bags left in the boot. Precautions: Take down the taxi number and color as well as the place where you got on the taxi. Also, remember to take your bags out of the boot before making payment of the fare!

What to do when in need of a taxi:

• Try to go out of your way and hail down a taxi on the street. They will most definitely turn the meter on without your asking.

• If no meter is on (the drivers often have a lot of excuses, like "the meter is broken" !) then jump out of the taxi and flag another!

• Avoid Taxis that stay stationed at street corners and high touristy areas. Those are the ones you will have to negotiate pricing with in which they will most likely end up with the benefit!

• Write down the destination in Thai, so the driver understands!

• Take down the taxi number and color as well as the place where you got on the taxi.

• Remember to take your bags out of the boot before making payment of the fare!

• If you somehow end up in a taxi with no meter then negotiate the prices in advance, and if there are more than one passenger, ensure that the price is for the whole fare, not per person!

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Make sure you buy your own padlock! if you rent a motorbike.... And remember to lock it! No matter where you go! Some of those "nice" bike rentals out there has a nice little business "stealing" their own rental bikes from the renters, and then ask for compensation! Typically a normal 110 CC bike costs from new 37,000 THB. Remember....there is no bike insurance that covers theft! So you (the renter) will be asked for compensation.....!!

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Don't use your credit card directly for payment unless you are positively sure about the good reputation of the business. Keep all your receipts and check your account afterwards!

This scam is already quite known by the public:

The employee of the business or shop where you pay with your credit card "steals" your card information with a special "pin strip reader" and copy the card info to a blank card. Then they use this card with your information to withdraw money from any ATM in the world!

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Black Money Scam:

Some scammers try to dupe people into buying a chemical that would turn blackened pieces of paper into US bank notes. The scammers tell their victims that the blackened notes were supplied by US authorities for smuggling into Liberia to fund activities of rebel groups there. Use your brains! Don't fall for this! An Italian man residing in Bangkok were swindled out of 2.6 million Baht! Use your brains! Don't fall for this scam!

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The Thai Gem Scam:

One of the most pervasive scams in Thailand is the Thai gem scam. Typically, a tourist meets a friendly Thai at a tourist attraction who eventually offers to take them to a "government" gem stone shop where the tourist is told about how they can sell Thai "blue sapphires" or other gems back home and make a 100% or even 200% profit. It is all lies, of course, and the tourist ends up with a pocket full of overpriced gems. Like Thais themselves, the scam is low-key and the touts are friendly rather than pushy. A rule of thumb for Thais is that "real" Thais do not just walk up to strangers and strike up a friendly conversation. Thais typically "speak when spoken to." If you are approached at a tourist attraction by a friendly fellow who just walks up and starts speaking to you, watch out!

    This is a by-the-numbers scam. Most people have the exact same experience. It usually goes something like this:

1. You are riding in a tuk-tuk.
2. The driver tells you that wherever you are going is closed for some reason.
3. The driver tells you he is specially trained to be helpful to tourists.
4. You are told the government has launched a promotion to sell gems to tourists.
5. In the course of riding around with the "friendly" tuk-tuk driver, you "accidentally" meet a well-dressed young man or an older, distinguished man.
6. The younger man claims he is a student. The older will claim he works for the government and shows you his government ID. (Thai IDs mean nothing. They are readily available for a small fee to anyone.)
7. The person you meet independently confirms the story the tuk-tuk driver told. (This is a nice touch.)
8. Eventually you ask to be taken to the "government" jewelry house and are told that you can make 100-2000% profit by reselling the gems back home. It seems okay since the seller writes something like "if everything is not ok we will offer a full refund" and puts an official looking stamp on it.
9. You've now been cheated by one of the oldest and most openly practiced scams in Thailand.

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Check you memory after computer repairs:

Some "smart" computer repair shops replace your memory chips before they return your computer. If you have a 512 MB RAM memory they replace it with a 128 MB RAM!

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Check your Hard Disc when  buying new computer:

If you buy a new computer make sure it has the Hard Disc size as advertised! Some of the "smart" computer stores advertise with 40 or 80 Giga Byte Hard Disks, but they actually deliver the computers with only 20 Giga Byte! In other words: They rip you off!!

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Good gold for bad gold scam:

Two Thai girls were shopping at Big C at the small shops on the upper level when a girl came over to them and asked if they had seen a grey handbag that she has left lying on a bench. I had 10 Baht of gold in it said the girl adding that her foreign boyfriend had bought it for her only that day.

The two replied that they had not seen it and watched the girl seeming to be in a panic ask other customers the same. Then another girl came over and started searching so the girls went over to the bench to help her and looked a little. Lo and behold, there it was fallen behind the bench but quite easy to spot so they picked it up and handed it to the very grateful girl.

There inside the bag was the 10 Baht of gold in a jewelry box and they all admired it. Four items and all nice chains with a ring also.

Here comes the scam:

After thanking the three of them for about a minute she said she wanted to reward them and would go back to her room to get them 50,000 Baht. She promised to be back in 20 minutes and to show she trusted them they could keep the 10 Baht of gold until she returned with their money.

Here is the catch. She asked them to show a little trust also. She asked if she could keep a 1 baht bracelet and 1 Baht gold chain round the girls neck for a while while she dashed back for the money.

At this point the girls started to suspect a scam and as soon as the con artist realised she legged it, closely followed by the girl that had helped them search. Of course the gold was fake and the two were working the scam between them.

They could be playing at your local store soon so watch out for a not so great act!

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Another gem scam:

When a taxi or Tuk Tuk driver tells you that he needs to collect gas vouchers before he sends you to your destination, you will need to be firm and say no or get off the car as quickly as possible. These drivers would drive you to a jeweler shop and before you know it, you will be purchasing some overpriced (and maybe fake!) gems that you would not be needing.

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Fake International Police:

Be aware of some foreign nationals who pass you up on the street and show you a "police" badge and start asking you questions like: "What's in your pocket?" and "Do you use drugs?"....things like that! Just ignore them and walk away! They're fake! Just trying to rip you off your money! Asking for "bribes" to let you go, or else they will take you to the "police station". Under no circumstances follow the "police man" anywhere! Just walk away and stay in a crowded area if possible. Eventually look for the real police!

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Fake ATM machine:  - see photos

Is there really such a thing as a fake ATM machine that can steal your card number and your password? Do such things exist? Or is it just an urban legend? These photos and warnings -- in Thai and English -- are making the rounds of emails in Thailand. Looks convincing. Somebody went to a lot of effort to create a device for stealing ATM numbers and passwords. Be sure to look at all 5 photos to understand how the ATM scam works!

Add your own Tips&Tricks here! 

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