Caught in Bangkok's Tuk Tuk Scam

[TheTravelForum-Sam]

Before arriving in Bangkok, I'd heard about Tuk Tuk drivers trying to scam tourists, so we were on high alert. As we walked on the streets, a friendly local approached us. He claimed to run a Tuk Tuk business and offered to show us around.

We were initially hesitant, but we changed our mind when he promised to take us to four different spots for just 100 baht for all four of us – a mere 25 baht each. He assured us we'd be dropped off right where we started, near our hotel.

His father, our Tuk Tuk driver, didn't speak English, and the friendly guy didn't accompany us. The first stop, a temple, required a tourist entry fee of 40 baht. All seemed fine until the driver diverted to a sketchy tailor shop, claiming he needed a gas stamp. We did not want to enter the shop but we were asked multiple times to enter. The shop employees will force you to buy anything and everything from their shop. After a few minutes, we left without making any purchases.

Our final destination was Chinatown, but when we reached there, the driver demanded the 100 baht fare immediately. We were confused, we reminded him of the initial agreement to drop us back at our starting point. We tried talking to him to drop us off where he picked us but he got angry, and to avoid any confrontation, we paid up and left.

Even with a video recording of his promise, he did not drop us at the agreed location.

Travel tip: If budget allows, opt for cabs booked through the Grab app to avoid such encounters.