Destinations › Thailand › Pattaya › Scams
Pattaya, Thailand
7 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Pattaya, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Bar and "hostess" job recruitment targeting budget travelers, sometimes requiring an upfront "uniform" or "training" fee before any work or pay materializes.
Jet-ski and rental-scooter operators claim pre-existing damage on return and demand large cash payments on the spot, sometimes with intimidation — this pattern is so entrenched in Pattaya specifically that many guides advise skipping jet-ski rental here altogether.
Beer bars and go-go bars along Walking Street add undisclosed "lady drink" charges and service fees far above any price shown on a menu.
Dating-app matches (often on Tinder) direct tourists to a specific "girlfriend" bar or restaurant that's in on the arrangement; the bill arrives inflated for drinks and "lady drinks" neither party ordered.
Bar tabs run as a confusing mix of cash and card with deliberately unclear totals, making shortchanging on change easy to miss.
"Free prize" timeshare pitches require sitting through a lengthy presentation for a "prize" that turns out to be a worthless contract or unusable voucher.
Baht bus and taxi drivers refuse the meter and quote inflated flat fares for short tourist-area trips.
