Anyone paying attention to the news the past couple years has probably heard about the online "scam centers" based in Myanmar and Cambodia targeting countries all over the world. What many people don't know is that some Thai politicians, and Thai Immigration police, were involved in those networks as exposed by Reuters.

The point is that this entire region is currently being infiltrated by Chinese triads "mafia" and transnational organized crime groups, and their focus is largely online. From selling fake motorbikes on Facebook groups, to running fake hotel booking and e-Visa websites, we are past the age of crude "broken jetski" scams as these groups are powerful and extremely sophisticated.

That said, there are still many common street level scams targeting tourists specifically:

• motorbike and jetski rental shops blaming you for damage you didn't cause
• scam artists outside tourist attractions telling you it's closed and offering you a tour, where they scam you further at commission shops
• taxis and tuktuks overcharging you or bringing you to places you didn't ask to go for commissions
• suit tailors (often from Nepal) selling you expensive outfits but using cheap fabrics
• shops and restaurants in tourist areas giving you the wrong change on your bill
• beer bars or nightlife venues handing you an inflated bill, and assaulting you if you refuse to pay it or getting their police "friends" to threaten you with arrest
• immigration officers making up new rules on the spot and demanding bribes at checkpoints (this is mostly at land borders, and targets Southeast Asian travelers more often then Westerners)

A large percentage of scams in Thailand involve transportation and nightlife areas, so if you use taxi apps like Grab and be cautious about nightlife you should avoid many common scams I would say.

Anyone paying attention to the news over the past couple of years has probably heard about the online "scam centers" based in Myanmar and Cambodia targeting countries all over the world. What many people don't know is that some Thai politicians and Thai Immigration police were involved in those networks, as exposed by Reuters.

The reality is that this entire region is currently being infiltrated by Chinese triads and transnational organized crime groups, and their focus is largely online. From selling fake motorbikes on Facebook groups to running fake hotel booking and e-Visa websites, we have moved past the age of crude "broken jet ski" scams; these groups are powerful and extremely sophisticated.

That said, there are still many common street-level scams targeting tourists specifically:

• Motorbike and jet ski rental shops blaming you for damage you didn't cause.
• Scam artists outside tourist attractions telling you the site is closed and offering you a tour, where they scam you further at commission shops.
• Taxis and tuk-tuks overcharging you or taking you to places you didn't ask to go to earn commissions.
• Suit tailors (often from Nepal) selling you expensive outfits but using cheap fabrics.
• Shops and restaurants in tourist areas giving you the wrong change on your bill.
• Beer bars or nightlife venues handing you an inflated bill and assaulting you if you refuse to pay, or getting their police "friends" to threaten you with arrest.
• Immigration officers making up new rules on the spot and demanding bribes at checkpoints (this happens mostly at land borders and targets Southeast Asian travelers more often than Westerners).

A large percentage of scams in Thailand involve transportation and nightlife areas. If you use ride-hailing apps like Grab and exercise caution in nightlife venues, you will likely avoid most common scams.