Scam city: Bangkok tops list for tourist fraud
Report flags Thai capital as scam hotspot for foreign visitors with deceitful transport services
Planning a holiday in Thailand? You’d better watch your wallet. Bangkok has just been named one of the world’s top hotspots for tourist fraud, with nearly half of all reported scams involving dodgy taxi and car rental deals, according to a new report by the Mastercard Economics Institute.
Released this week and highlighted by CNBC, the report reveals a disturbing spike in travel-related scams across global destinations, with fraud increasing by up to 28% during peak seasons.
In Bangkok alone, 48% of fraud cases stem from issues with taxis and car rentals, putting the Thai capital firmly in the red zone for tourist rip-offs.
“Once payment is made, the tour may never materialise or may differ entirely from what was advertised,” the report warns, outlining one of the most common scams involving fake or misleading tour bookings.
David Mann, Chief Economist for Asia Pacific at the Mastercard Economics Institute, explained that the geography of fraud varies significantly.
“In some destinations, fraud is more common in tour bookings, while in others it may be food services. For instance, in Los Angeles, food-related fraud was the top issue.”
The report also flags Phuket as another scam-prone area, particularly when it comes to fraudulent hotel bookings. Tourists in popular destinations such as Antalya in Turkey face similar issues.
By contrast, cities like San Francisco, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest, and Edinburgh recorded the lowest levels of reported tourist fraud, offering a safer environment for travellers.
Outside Thailand, the cities with the highest reported scam rates included Cancun (Mexico), Hanoi (Vietnam), and Dhaka (Bangladesh). Notably, the type of scam shifts from place to place, in Jakarta, taxi-related fraud accounts for a massive 66% of reported cases, compared to just 2% in places like Hong Kong and Barcelona, reported The Nation.
Mastercard warns that fraud isn’t just happening during the holiday, it’s also increasingly common during the booking phase. Over the past year, travel-related fraud during trip planning has surged by over 12%, involving doctored photos, fake booking confirmations, and shady payment links.
To stay safe, Mastercard advises tourists to book through secure platforms, use digital wallets or credit cards with strong fraud protection, and avoid offers that seem too good to be true. Better safe than scammed.
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