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Common scams in Thailand — and how to avoid them

Last reviewed 2026-06-20 · AraiWa editorial

Money and payment tricks

The everyday ones turn on confusion at the moment you pay. You hand over a 1,000-baht note, the seller insists it was 100 and gives change to match. A product is packed in front of you, but the box holds a lesser item than the one you looked at. In a bar, drinks bought for someone else quietly stack up until the bill is far larger than you expected.

1. Count notes out loud as you pay — say the amount before the money leaves your hand.
2. Open any sealed package before you leave the stall; if the seller refuses, don't buy.
3. Check the price list before you sit down in a bar, and ask for the bill before you pay.

Deposits, vehicles and big purchases

The bigger losses come from money you hand over without paper. A rental deposit that never comes back — the landlord finds a reason to keep it, or simply disappears — is common, and tenant protection is weaker than you may be used to. Used motorbikes and cars carry their own traps: a wound-back odometer, hidden accident repairs, missing documents, or an unpaid loan the previous owner left attached to the vehicle.

1. Photograph a rental unit before you move in and again when you leave, with the landlord present.
2. Always sign a written contract, and put in writing what the deposit can be deducted for and when it is returned.
3. Have a mechanic inspect any used vehicle before you buy, and check its records at the Land Transport Office.
4. Never pay cash for a vehicle or property without the proper paperwork in hand.

Fake official websites and visa middlemen

Sites that look official but charge for free government services are a large business. Thailand's digital arrival card (TDAC) is free to file, yet search results surface sites that charge a fee for it. The same happens with visas, where unofficial "agents" charge several times the real cost.

Pressure and trust scams

These work by manufacturing urgency and emotion so you act before you think. A relationship moves to money fast, or a "family emergency" needs cash early on. An investment — a restaurant, property, or crypto project — promises an unrealistic return. A caller claiming to be the police says your account is frozen and pressures you to log in to your bank "for verification."

1. Don't give money — as a loan, gift, or investment — to anyone you have known less than about six months.
2. Treat a promised 15%-a-year return as a warning sign, not a promise; if you can't see where your money is and how you get it back, you are giving it, not investing it.
3. Real police never call to ask for access to your online banking — hang up and call your bank on its official number to check.

Informal "fees" at borders and roadside stops

At some border crossings or roadside checks you may be asked for an informal cash payment with no receipt. It is worth knowing this can happen so it doesn't catch you off guard. Stay calm and don't escalate; keep small notes on hand; you are within your rights to ask, politely and repeatedly, why a payment is required.

Four habits that prevent most of it

1. Slow down — manufactured urgency is the thread running through nearly every scam.
2. Don't pay cash without a receipt, a written contract, or both.
3. Don't give money to anyone you've known under six months.
4. If an official process is free but you're paying for it, you're on the wrong site — verify with the official source.

If it happens anyway

1. Report it to the Tourist Police — call 1155, English-speaking. They can't always resolve it, but the documentation matters.
2. For a bank or online scam, contact your bank's security team immediately; speed decides whether you recover the money.
3. Don't count on the courts — processes are slow and outcomes uncertain. Learn from it, warn friends, and move on.

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