Bangkok, Cancun and Hanoi top global list for tourist scams, Mastercard study finds
BANGKOK, May 21 — A new report by the Mastercard Economics Institute has flagged Thailand's capital city as a high-risk destination for tourists, particularly for fraud involving taxis and car rentals.
These two services account for a staggering 48 per cent of all reported fraud cases in the city.
'Once payment is made, the tour may never materialise or may differ entirely from what was advertised,' Mastercard Economics Institute said in its study on 2025 travel trends released May 15.
The study, which has been widely covered by global outlets including US broadcaster CNBC, paints a troubling picture of the global tourism industry.
It identifies travel-related services such as tour packages and agency bookings as four times more likely to be involved in fraud compared to other sectors.
During peak holiday periods, fraud rates at popular destinations surged by more than 18 per cent in summer hotspots and up to 28 per cent in winter destinations.
David Mann, Mastercard Economics Institute's chief economist for Asia Pacific, noted that the type of scams tourists face can vary significantly depending on the city.
'In some destinations, you might find that most fraud originates from the travel sector and tour companies, while in other cities, fraud might occur in other businesses, such as food services,' he said.
He cited Los Angeles as an example, where food-related businesses saw the highest fraud incidence.
The Mastercard report also highlighted that hotel booking scams were more common in Phuket, Thailand, and Antalya, Turkiye.
In contrast, cities with the lowest fraud reports include San Francisco in the US; Dublin in Ireland; Seoul, South Korea; Budapest in Hungary; and Edinburgh in Scotland.
Among the cities with the highest fraud complaints were Cancun in Mexico, Hanoi in Vietnam, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Bangkok.
The report revealed that taxi and rental-related fraud is far less common in places like Hong Kong and Barcelona, Spain where such scams accounted for just 2 per cent of reported cases.
But in Jakarta, Indonesia the figure spikes to 66 per cent, mirroring Bangkok's own high rate of 48 per cent.
Mastercard's findings suggest that while travel opens up new experiences, it also opens up opportunities for fraudsters.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
13 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Asian stocks climb ahead of US-China trade talks in London, buoyed by upbeat US jobs data
TOKYO, June 9 — Shares jumped and the dollar pared recent gains today as Asian markets reacted to better-than-expected US jobs data ahead of talks in London aimed at mending a trade rift between the US and China. Wall Street stocks had closed sharply higher on Friday after the jobs data eased concerns about damage to the world's biggest economy from President Donald Trump's unpredictable tariff regime. Today, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.7 per cent, with Australia's markets shut for a holiday. Japan's Nikkei stock index rose 0.9 per cent. But pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures pointed to a decline while US stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis, slid 0.2 per cent. Sentiment was weighed down by a standoff in Los Angeles that led to Trump calling in the California National Guard to quell demonstrations over his immigration policies. The dollar slid 0.3 per cent against the yen to 144.46, trimming its 0.9 per cent jump on Friday. The European single currency was up 0.2 per cent on the day at US$1.1417 (RM4.84). Sterling traded at US$1.3553, up 0.3 per cent. Top trade representatives from Washington and Beijing are due to meet for talks expected to focus on critical minerals, whose production is dominated by China. The discussions follow a rare call last week between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'Trade policy will remain the big macro uncertainty,' said Kyle Rodda, a senior financial market analyst at 'Signs of further momentum in talks could give the markets fresh boost to kick-off the week.' US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent Washington in talks with China, Trump said in a social media post. China's foreign ministry said Vice Premier He Lifeng will be in Britain for the first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism. 'China export growth slows' US job growth slowed in May by less than had been forecast, data showed on Friday. But dour economic readings from China added to evidence the trade war is taking a toll. China's export growth slowed to a three-month low in May, while factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years, separate reports showed today. Even so, trade optimism lifted Chinese shares. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.8 per cent, touching the 24,000-point level for the first time since March 21. China's blue-chip CSI300 Index added 0.2 per cent. Attention now turns to US inflation data on Wednesday that will feed into expectations for the timing of any rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The Fed is in a blackout period ahead of its June 18 policy decision. Markets are facing 'mixed fortunes' today as they balance optimism over trade and the US economy against the potential for social unrest in California, said Jeff Ng, Head of Asia Macro Strategy at SMBC. 'The trade talks, if there's any progress, may help as well, but markets may not have priced in a lot of breakthrough for that,' Ng said. 'In the meantime, we are also quite cognisant that in the US there are protests in LA and the National Guard is also being sent in, so we have to be on the watch for event risk as well.' Gold was little changed at US$3,311.65 per ounce after a 1.3 per cent slide on Friday. US crude was steady at US$64.54 a barrel following a 1.9 per cent surge late last week. — Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
27 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Telcos reassure public no personal data shared with MCMC
CelcomDigi, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis stress that only anonymised data — without any personally identifiable information — will be shared with MCMC. (Freepik pic) PETALING JAYA : Telco companies have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting customer data following the sharing of mobile phone data (MPD) for official statistical purposes with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). In separate statements, CelcomDigi, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis stressed that only anonymised data — without any personally identifiable information — will be shared with MCMC. CelcomDigi emphasised its strict adherence to existing data protection laws, including the Communications and Multimedia Act and the Personal Data Protection Act, adding that customer trust remains at the core of its operations. The telco acknowledged the ongoing discussions and concerns raised by the public over the MCMC initiative and said it is working closely with the commission to support the government's efforts without compromising the integrity of customer data. 'At all times, we operate under tight security protocols and in compliance with the relevant data protection laws and regulations, with stringent limitations on any personal identifiable information,' it said. U Mobile, meanwhile, affirmed that customer data and privacy are its top priority, with policies and processes in place to ensure any shared data is anonymised, aggregated and fully compliant with applicable data protection laws and regulations. 'We are aware of the objectives of the initiative and are committed to working with MCMC in a manner that upholds the highest standards of data governance,' it said. It noted that when the company does share its mobile phone data, at no point will personally identifiable information be revealed or processed. U Mobile remains committed to safeguarding customer privacy and ensuring full regulatory compliance in all aspects of data management, it added. TM also clarified that the mobile phone data submitted to MCMC is fully anonymised and does not contain any personally identifiable information. Data submission is carried out under strict governance and security protocols, with full compliance to applicable company policies as well as national laws and regulatory requirements, it said in a statement. 'TM remains fully committed to safeguarding the safety and privacy of customer data with responsibility and integrity,' it noted. Meanwhile, Maxis also said MCMC will have no access to personally identifiable information at any stage. It added that controls and processes are in place to ensure customers' personal data will not be compromised. 'All data is anonymised by Maxis and processed in an aggregated manner within a secure environment, in full compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010,' it said in a statement. 'Maxis remains fully committed to protecting the data of all our customers.' On Friday, MCMC clarified that its collection of mobile phone data from mobile network operators does not involve the access, processing or disclosure of any personally identifiable information. MCMC said the mobile phone data will be used strictly to generate official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and the tourism sector. Earlier today, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil assured the public that MCMC is not collecting any personal information from telecommunications companies. He said MCMC's request for phone companies to hand over data on all mobile phone calls, made from January to March, is a Cabinet decision aimed at collecting data for the statistics department, with the goal of creating better policies and plans.
Free Malaysia Today
27 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Starbucks to lower prices in China as competition heats up
China is Starbucks' second-largest market after the US. (EPA Images pic) BEIJING : Starbucks China will lower the prices of some of its iced drinks by an average of ¥5 (US$0.70) across the country, the company announced today, as competition intensifies and consumers become more cautious about spending. In a post on its Weixin social media account, the US coffee chain said it would offer more 'accessible' prices on dozens of its drinks, including non-coffee drinks and the Frappuccino, from tomorrow. While China is Starbucks' second-largest market after the US, the coffee market is highly competitive, and consumers have become more cautious about spending because of the slowing economy and concerns about job security. The new approach means some of Starbucks' drinks will be priced as low as ¥23, the post said. Domestic rivals such as Luckin Coffee and Cotti have priced their drinks as low as ¥9.9 or even ¥8.8, while deep-pocketed internet companies and Alibaba Group have entered the food delivery market, adding to the competition. With offers and vouchers, Chinese coffee consumers can buy themselves a drink for as little as ¥2.9. A person close to Starbucks, said the company was not reducing prices in response to intense price competition, but looking to attract more customers in the afternoon. The individual requested anonymity as they were not in a role that allowed them to comment to the media. 'Starbucks likely has a longer-term strategy, which is to focus on the demand for non-coffee items in the afternoon among consumers,' the source said. Starbucks had said previously that it would not engage in a price war. However, it has also introduced smaller-sized drinks and issued coupons which have lowered prices for customers. The US giant has also been looking to revive its business in China via selling stakes in the business.
