Destinations › Thailand › Chiang Mai › Scams
Chiang Mai, Thailand
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Chiang Mai, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Elephant 'sanctuaries' marketed as ethical while offering riding and bathing, with the welfare claims used purely as a sales device.
Scooter rental operators holding the passport as deposit and then charging for pre-existing damage, with the passport used as leverage. A cash deposit and a photographed condition check at handover are the defence.
Overnight bus operators to the south where luggage stored below is searched and valuables removed in transit.
Bag theft from parked scooters and from tables at the busiest night market lanes.
Cooking-school and massage-course bookings taken by street touts for schools that have no record of the reservation.
Counterfeit branded goods in the night markets sold as genuine, and 'handmade' crafts that are factory imports.
Bus and minivan tickets to other cities sold by street agents for services that are overbooked, downgraded, or do not run.
Trekking operators selling 'hill tribe' tours with itineraries, group sizes and accommodation materially different from what was described.
Songthaew and tuk-tuk drivers quoting per-person rates to visitors where locals pay a fixed shared fare.
Shortchanging at market stalls on large baht notes, relying on the crowd and the noise.
