Arrival Brief

The playbook

Scam Types

Tourist scams are scripts, and scripts repeat across borders. Each entry explains how one works, how to recognize it early, and the calm way out.

  • Express kidnapping The short, money-driven abduction — what it actually is, why transport choice prevents nearly all of it, and how to stay safe if it happens.
  • Faux guides & baksheesh The stranger who appears as your guide, opens a door, or points the way — then demands payment for the favor you didn't ask for.
  • Pickpocket distraction The spill, the bump, the petition — how two-person teams manufacture the moment the lift happens.
  • ATM skimmer Card-slot overlays, PIN cameras, cash traps, and the 'helpful' stranger — the machine-side family of card theft.
  • Bar-bill scam The friendly stranger, the bar he knows, and the four-figure bill with doormen attached.
  • Bracelet scam The 'friendship bracelet' that appears on your wrist and comes with a bill.
  • Exchange ripoff 'Zero commission,' the wrong rate in the window, and the conversion button that always favors the house.
  • Fake police stop A flashed badge, a story about counterfeit money, and a wallet that comes back lighter.
  • Fake taxi Unlicensed drivers, rigged meters, and 'fixed prices' — the airport-to-hotel classic.
  • Fake tourist office 'Your hotel is closed / overbooked' — and a helpful stranger walks you to a 'government tourist office' that's really a commission travel agency.
  • Gold-ring scam A 'found' gold ring, offered to you as luck — followed by a request for money.
  • Moped snatch-and-ride A phone or bag grabbed from your hand or shoulder by a passing scooter — gone before you turn your head.
  • The overcharging trap No printed prices, a 'cover charge', fish by weight, a gondola surprise — the bill that grows between order and payment.
  • Petition crews A charity clipboard thrust at your chest — the signature, the 'donation', and the hands beneath the board.
  • Rental-damage scam You return the scooter, jet ski, or car — and they 'find' damage that was there all along, keeping your passport or deposit until you pay.
  • The spiked drink A drink or snack from a new 'friend' that leaves you disoriented or unconscious — and robbed. Rare, serious, and highly preventable.
  • Ticket touts & skip-the-line The 'official' concert or attraction ticket sold on the street — marked up, invalid, or for a show that barely exists.
  • Tuk-tuk circuit The friendly stranger, the 20-baht tour, and the gem shop where it was always heading.