Click Here And Learn How To Avoid Scams Online
■ FREE PODCAST:
■ BANGKOK, THAILAND: The land of smiles is rife with various scams. Most tourists will likely fall foul of at least one scam whilst holidaying in Thailand.
There is however one way you can avoid the vast majority of them. So how do you avoid being scammed in Thailand?
….and never ever tell a Thai that you are in Thailand for the first time 😉
coffeeboiii WEEEEE
Mark Menke
I’m sure being ginger in Thailand is going to be a tough time because HOOEY… not many Red heads are in these countries.
What’s the end game here? Rather enjoy your stay and don’t waste their – and more importantly your – time.
when you go back?
@harald where are you right now ?
Where are you from?
mars
Harald Baldr special price for u man
Great tip, thanks! So, what goes down at the restaurants you can get suckered into going to? Gambling, drugs, “massage”…things like that?
Menus with no prices on them. Very expensive meals.
I was in Thailand and we went past this one massage place almost every day and there were some pretty beautiful girls trying to get us to come in every time. One night we were fairly drunk and decided to see what the “massage” was all about so we went in there. They held our hands and took us upstairs to little “rooms” with curtains as walls basically and told me to take my clothes off. I did and she told me to lay down. She started massaging me, nothing strange going on. The she told me to get on my back, I did. Normal massage until she started touching my boxers and asked me if I wanted her to “massage” there too. I told no I’m fine and she proceeded with the rest of the normal massage. Nothing happened and the price was fine. I don’t think as much bad things go down in Thailand for tourists as people for some reason want to make you believe. Sure there is hookers in bars and stuff but 50 bucks for a whole night isn’t bad in my opinion
If anyone approaches you for any reason and invites you to go with them, politely decline and walk away. If you think about it, why would they help you out, when they don’t know you…
Hercules Theban politely? If i want i can tell them to die with no problem.
“I can’t pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend.”
Hercules Theban true… Don’t accept any calls longer distances just because it’s cheap… Never loose your attention from your purse…They praise you unnecessarily don’t believe
Ov3rshot lmao
The Soi boys in Krabi last week were particularly pushy… Everytime is turn around they would ask “Where you go?” It was annoying I wouldn’t even be looking at them and they would start yelling at me. I walk everywhere and i was just usually out seeing sites and not really going anywhere. Must be hard times for motorbike taxis down there right now…They do themselves an injustice really… being that pushy just makes me avoid them at all costs..even if I need a ride
WS: You sound a little paranoid. While I exaggerate slightly when I say ALL, people in my neighborhood will often ask me where I’m going (usually I just smile and point and say “that way, then this way!”)–as an icebreaker more than anything–with NO intent to scam me. The only scam I routinely see here is cabbies who refuse to use the meter, overcharge you a flat rate.
That’s not what you originally said, S.A. Hogan. Of course if you live in Thailand and people from your neighborhood recognize you and use that as a greeting then who am I to dispute what you say. But reading your comment the casual observer would assume you’re talking as a tourist going about your business or leisure in Thailand. It’s similar to people who say if you’re in the Philippines and a smiling Filipino comes up to you and ask you where you are going or something similar prepare to be scammed. A smile on a Filipino is a one of the ploys they use to relax you like the story of the spider who would trap an insect in its web. I had the same question “where are you going?” asked of me around Nana by men standing idle whose intent is to scam me.
WS: No, I originally said ALL Thais, then admitted I was exaggerating. I just don’t like to see prejudices needlessly formed–including yours of the men in Nana; until they actually scam you, you don’t KNOW what their intentions are–that’s all. Thais are generally better people than is being portrayed on these “scam” sites: of a higher moral fiber than most of the people I’ve met in the West, in fact. Alas, sounds like you HAVE been scammed (if so, sorry). Frankly I don’t trust smiley (especially young) people who come up to me in ANY country, especially if an offer of friendship is involved. Am partial to “The Little Red Hen” and “The 1000 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins” myself.
Hogan I don’t know if you’re the same person who said he never been scammed. Then someone said to that person that he needs to get out some more.
Before I went to Thailand I read up on Bangkok Bob’s website. He listed all the variations of scams in Thailand. No, I never been scammed. I was forewarned and forearmed. A man did try to scam me –the same scam mentioned in Bangkok Bob’s website. It was a Monday morning I had my camera out on Sukhumvit when a man told me the area is closed (traffic was normal for Monday rush hour). He said he can take me in his tuk tuck to Chinatown. I knew immediately he was trying to scam me. Any man standing around Nana asking where I am going is most likely out to scam me. Sorry by you’re naive if you think otherwise or maybe a Pollyanna.
WS: No, I’m not; read my comments and you’ll know FOR SURE. “Most likely…” Your little snipe attack at the end was uncalled for–just when I was starting to think you were kinda smart and I had me a pen pal (!).
Thanks but street wise applies any place in the world the scams differ from country to country my favorite was the “Tea House” in China and that one starts with the same approach though normally it’s a pretty girl who wants to practice her english
I’d say, “No English. But you can practice your french on me, if you like. But only if you swallow.”
Making SEA Safer for tourists one Vlog at a time, nice work brother and all great advice to the first time tourist.
yeah i remember those scams
Asia Hotel, Bangkok, 1st time there,
“please only use our Mercedes Benz hotel car for tour around Bangkok, dont trust taxi hotel said”
it was 20x the cost of metered Taxi.
im going to Thailand end of May 2018 Harry
Hows your trip going?
Lukey Wheatley have fun fucking the cheap thais
Meaning you’re an idiot. Idiots getting scammed is fair game.
all scams starts……..when a strangest calls you………. my friend
that’s right
torso99 dam white people been calling me that for yrs
u supriced?…..
What do u means, mah friend?
not when i visited Armenia, usually when a stranger called me they gave me free food and watermelon, yum,
lol I avoided these things by doing one thing: Walking around with a Thai newspaper. When they saw that I would possibly speak Thai they didn’t either bother lol
brownhippy most of them speaks my language, so instead I spoke my local language lol
Ask them money cause you lost your wallet… And then watch how they run away!
I rarely wash my clothing whike traveling nd no one ever tried to scam me that way. They think im a filthy local or one of those dumbass english teachers that live there
TkyoSam sounds quite effective
Just smile and wave you hand in a rejecting manner.
Mai chai mai chai 🙂
Pack ur troble in ur old kid bag and smile , smile, smile 🙁
An important rule to remember: Don’t trust anyone new in Thailand (especially in Bangkok).
I had put my American friend up in a hotel right next to a BTS on Asok. I warned him about the Tuk Tuk and explain why I had put him up next to the BTS, so that he won’t get scammed. I had to work the next day and checked back on him in the afternoon. I found out later that a Tuk Tuk got friendly with him and drove him to get a new overpriced suit and left him at the shop(exactly what I warned him about before.) Here it is gents and ladies, if any Thai get too friendly with you on the street, just get away fast. Many Westerners like my friend came from a nice small town with well discipline society and low deception. It is a different world here. Thai will do pretty much anything for money and disregard the consequence of how it would impact other people. Also, the law enforcement here is a joke in itself. I always say that it is better to plant a tree in Bangkok than hire more police officer. At least one is provide shade from the sun rays and the other one is standing around to do nothing. For those coming here… Welcome to the land of fake smile.
Yup, totally gonna avoid Thailand.
No one will miss you. Thailand has more Westerners than any other Asian country. Besides, only greedy or stupid people fall victim, so best you stay away.
I hear they have good whores though. I’m only interested in sex tourism.
RizeVize
Agreed, I’m staying far away from the trannies and scammers. Beautiful country, but there are hundreds of other beautiful countriws out there to see ?
I have never taken a tuk tuk. Used Uber exclusively for almost a full year, but now have to use Grab (same thing – different group, but specific now to all of Southeast Asia).
Northern Thai Garden Guy… howdy mate.. didn’t even know Thailand had an uber service??
john o They did – until April 8th this year. All service now runs through Grab. Their mapping system sucks in comparison, and they do not send out the weekly coupons that Uber did (use to get coupons for 40, 50, and 60 Baht off the next 10 rides). Still better than a tuk-tuk, but you get a bit spoiled by one only to be shagged by this new service.
they do where the taxi mafia let them
Uber dropped the ball in SEA and sold out to local competitor Grab, which sucks because the Uber app was leaps and bounds better. However Grab is decent enough and sure beats the scammy taxis and tuk-tuks. You may also want to try GoJek in Indonesia and PassApp in Cambodia.
I love Grab Taxi. I have used it over a hundred times in Thailand. Everything is in English on my phone. I can be picked up anywhere, which is handy away from main streets (I just hail a taxi normally on Sukhumvit.) I can wait inside where it is cool until I see the taxi is only a block away. If every country had Grab Taxi, I wouldn’t ever need to own a car. The app is in their language on their phone and my destination is shown to them, as well as a suggested route.
Between Grab and the overhead trains and metro, getting around in Thailand is a breeze. I really enjoy the freedom and mobility in Bangkok. I spend about $200/month. However, once I start using buses and buy a bike, it will probably go down to under $150/month. I will probably never need river transport and I don’t use motorcycle taxis or baht buses. Tuk tuks are good once as a fun adventure ride (hold on!) They are more entertainment than transport.
Avoid tuktuks, *entirely.*
With rare exception, they will take advantage of you. (one way…or another)
I’ve went to phuket many times and I never got scammed
go for online taxis instead. they rarely speak english tho, but never got scammed using Uber or Grab. Same goes with my country
There are tuktuks in Thailand too?
Here in Egypt, we also see people riding around in tuktuks playing traditional Shabbi music at full blast. Tuktuks aren’t dangerous, their just not giod quality. Same thing with taxis.
better to go to blackpool all you want to eat and drink and sex everynight of the week so my sister told me ??
What is blackpool
I would say, it is somewhat beneath most westerners to be too upset about scammers. Granted, no one likes to be taken advantage of and there is the principal of the thing, but I have also seen Western tourist haggling over the price of a bottle of water with kids dressed in rags who live in tin huts. Paying a buck instead of 75 cents is not going to break you and that quarter means more to them than it does to you.
Mike Miller I hope you get raped in Thailand you fuckwit
WeAreSoPredictable are you two in a homosexual relationship as a result, good for you!
Hey John Smith, I don’t want his organs, I might catch fuckwititis. It’s a terrible disease. My FTL’s (Fuckwit Tolerance Levels) are low enough already.
helllo my friend special price just for u
Our tuk-tuk driver picked us up daily at the hotel. “Where you like go, you happy, I happy.” was his greeting.
Just for YOOOOOOUUUUUUUU
If i were to hear someone say that to me,id be GONE !!!…..people are so gullable…..so let me get this straight……because you met someone on the street(me)that you’ve never seen in your life and is doubtful that you ever will see me again……you’re gonna hook me up with this extraordinary deal,just because you think im such a swell guy?!…….ok,that sounds reasonable…..smh……
???
2-3 time more expensive i comfirm this LUL
People go to Thailand for culture huh never knew that?
M.A.R.N .E he means like everytime your uncle was alone he was probably fucking a little 12 year old girl
Lol
I thought it started with “Me sucky sucky! Me love you long time! Ten dolla! Me so horny…”
its actually more like tandala and me so hony haha.
Lmao
wa u do? i do evrytin
me is not a guy me is a girl
*you can clearly see he’s a trans*
I avoid all of this just with one simple trick. I look like I’m crazy, and when these guys approach me I start acting all edgy and saying things like what’s the password? Or you’re not my contact. Or if they see you talking to me were both dead. They leave me alone.
brian ochieng’
your fear is none of my concern. Ive been to the dark alleys of Hong Kong, ive seen the illegal gold and diamond markets in africa. Ive been shot at over a coffee deal. I got this covered. You just stay home with mama. Did she agree to increase your allowance? Good for you.
Lmao, the dark alleys of Hong Kong? Illegal gold markets of Africa? Shot at over a coffee deal? Lmao. Who are you, Ross Kemp? Real ‘Tough Guys’ don’t argue with kids in the comment section of tourist videos.
brian ochieng’
These places exist. Go there yourself, when you grow up. If you’re not afraid of the dark. Nothing ive said is untrue, i never claimed to be a tough guy. I have a particular wild eyed look that folks find disturbing. My system works. Ive been traveling for 35 years. Theres scary places in Honolulu. Ive seen people butchering other people. You’re the one running your cocksucker online pretending to be brave. Who is chuck Norris anyway? I know Charlie Morris, i sat behind him in sophomore lit. Who exactly are you trying to impress, anyway? Ive done these things, you are an ignorant child. You ever seen what a hand grenade does to a person?
Karl Dupuis edgy teen probably never lost your virginity
Imma just chill out smoke a fatty and watch ong bak