Bangkok named among worst cities for tourist scams as taxi fraud soars, report warns

South China Morning Post

22-05-2025

A recent report has identified Bangkok as one of the worst cities for tourists to get scammed, primarily due to the prevalence of taxi and car rental frauds, which make up nearly half of all scams reported by visitors.
In addition to the Thai capital, the Mastercard Economics Institute report also highlighted other cities known for targeting unsuspecting travellers. These include Cancun in Mexico, Hanoi in Vietnam, and Dhaka in Bangladesh, according to media outlet Nation Thailand.
Published last Tuesday, the report, which did not rank the cities in any order, emphasised that the tourism sector was one of the most susceptible industries to fraudulent activities. Alarmingly, the incidence of fraud within travel agencies and tour booking services is four times greater than the average seen across other sectors, underscoring the urgent need for vigilance among travellers.
Scams surged during peak travel seasons, with fraud rates rising over 18 per cent at summer destinations and 28 per cent at winter ones. The nature of scams differs by location, the report noted.
Issues with taxis and car rentals account for a mere 2 per cent of reported fraud cases in Hong Kong and Barcelona, Spain, but this figure jumps to 66 per cent in Jakarta, Indonesia and 48 per cent in Bangkok.
A traveller with an instant camera takes a photo in Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock
'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,' David Mann, Chief Economist for Asia-Pacific at the Mastercard Economics Institute, told CNBC on May 16.