Chinese, Russian tourists lose cash after showing money to Pattaya scammers
A Chinese tourist and a Russian couple reported losing cash to suspected foreign scammers in Pattaya on Monday, November 17, after being tricked into showing their money.
All three victims filed complaints at Mueang Pattaya Police Station on the same day. Based on their descriptions, the suspects are believed to be foreign nationals, possibly from an Arab country.
The first case involved Wen Zhao, a 34 year old Chinese national, who visited the police station around 12.40am. Wen told officers he was standing outside Akara Hotel Pattaya when a man approached him and asked to see Chinese banknotes.
Wen said he took out both Chinese and Thai currency from his bag and allowed the man to inspect them. Although the suspect returned the money, Wen later realised 11,000 baht in cash was missing. He was unable to confirm how or when the money was taken.
Later, 42 year old Russian tourist Aleksandr Kaminski and his wife reported a similar incident. Kaminski said they were at an outlet mall on Thep Prasit Road when a foreign couple initiated a friendly conversation and asked to see their wallets.
Kaminski allowed the suspects to view his wallet. After a quick glance, they returned it and walked away. He later discovered 41,900 rubles, or about 16,800 baht, had disappeared.
Police are reviewing CCTV footage from both areas to help identify the suspects. No updates have been released so far.
In a related case on November 12, a German tourist reportedly lost over 140,000 baht after being persuaded by a man, believed to be from the Middle East, to purchase hair products. The suspect told the victim the products would improve hair growth and appearance.
The German agreed to pay 4,000 baht, but the scammer charged 4,000 euros (approximately 140,000 baht) to his credit card.
Several foreign tourists have fallen victim to similar scams in Pattaya. In some cases, suspects were arrested and later released, with reports suggesting they returned to carrying out scams in the same area.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
