Thread: Bangkok a high-risk destination for tourist rip-offs - Mastercard

Bangkok has been listed as one of the world’s highest-risk destinations for tourist fraud, with a particularly alarming rate of scams involving taxis and car rentals, according to a new report by the Master Card Economics Institute.


Other cities at the top of the list include Cancun, Dhaka and Hanoi, while San Francisco, Dublin, Seoul, Budapest and Edinburgh reported the lowest levels of travel-related scams.


The report, released on May 15, reveals that 48% of all reported fraud cases in Bangkok relate to taxi services and vehicle rentals. In many instances, tourists are being deceived after paying for tours, which either do not happen or fall short of the advertised promises.


“Once payment is made, the tour may never materialise or may differ entirely from what was advertised,” the report noted.


Travel-related fraud continues to outpace other sectors, with tour packages and agency bookings identified as four times more likely to involve fraudulent activity.


David Mann, MasterCard’s chief economist for Asia Pacific, said that the type of fraud varies by location. “In some destinations, most fraud originates in the travel sector and tour companies while, in others, it might involve businesses like F&B services,” he explained.


While Bangkok struggles with travel-sector scams, Phuket was highlighted for having a higher incidence of hotel booking fraud, placing it in the same category as Antalya in Turkey.


By contrast, taxi and rental scams account for just 2% of fraud cases in cities like Hong Kong and Barcelona. In Jakarta, however, the figure shoots up to 66%, exceeding even Bangkok’s high rate.


According to MasterCard, fraud tends to surge during holiday seasons, by over 18% in summer destinations and 28% in winter locales, highlighting the need for greater vigilance among travellers.

Bangkok a high-risk destination for tourist rip-offs – Mastercard

I myself tried using my Mastercard Elte Jaun Keer points to rent a goalkeeper and Engrish professor combo recently , the applicant was drunk and snaffled my 4 pack of leo before you could say Lulu's my uncle

Clean yourself up Thailand.

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