Safe Holidays in Thailand 2025: How to Protect Yourself from Scammers and Avoid Fines

It's one of the high tourist seasons now Thailand, which means that scammers are not sleeping and are trying to make as much money as possible from onlookers. In this article I will tell you about safety and the most expensive mistakes tourists make in Thailand, and also tell you where you need to be especially careful not to ruin your vacation in Thailand.

Currency Exchange in Thailand 2025: The Truth About Rates and Old Dollars

Foreign exchange transactions in Thailand have always been one of the riskiest areas for tourists. Many fraudulent schemes are based on the dissemination of false information and the creation of artificial panic among travelers. Let's look at the most common myths and the real state of affairs.

You've probably heard that old dollars are not accepted. This story was invented by bloggers, and it was picked up by guides who make money on currency exchange in Thailand. They will convince you that no one will accept old dollars, and will offer to exchange them at a reduced rate, after which they themselves will exchange them at an official point at a normal rate. In fact, there are no restrictions on the year of issue of dollars in any official exchange point.

According to numerous reviews from tourists, dollars from 1996 and newer are accepted at absolutely the same rate as new bills at all official currency exchange offices. Therefore, if you have dollars in good condition, the year of issue does not matter - they will be accepted. However, even new dollars in poor condition - heavily wrinkled, torn, with seals, inscriptions or traces of a stapler - may not be accepted.

If you can't buy dollars in your city, you can take euros or yuan. Even rubles will do, since Thailand accepts all types of currencies, although the ruble exchange rate is usually unfavorable.

Safe Online Money Exchange in Thailand: How to Avoid Transfer Scams

In the digital age, new methods of financial fraud have emerged, which are especially relevant for tourists from Russia in Thailand, who have encountered problems using bank cards abroad. These schemes are especially dangerous because they are often disguised as legitimate travel assistance services.

The problem with cards can be an unpleasant surprise. A Russian tourist risks being left without money at any moment – his card can turn into “pumpkin seeds”, as happened with Gazprombank cards. What to do then? You are on vacation, you have no money, you are in a panic, and in this state you are ready to do absolutely anything. And then online exchangers or “helpers” appear with a tempting offer: “Transfer to my Russian card, and I will bring cash in Thai baht.”

This currency exchange scheme carries serious risks of fraud at every stage. And when transferring hard-earned rubles to an unknown person, you risk not receiving the promised cash.

The main dangers are as follows:

1. Fraudsters can complicate the scheme by offering to meet the courier at the ATM. According to their version, you transfer money to a Russian card in the presence of the courier, after which you must receive baht through the ATM.
2. In this scheme, a third party appears – the courier. The process looks plausible: you come to the ATM, make a transfer, send a confirmation message.
3. You are promised that a code for receiving money from an ATM will come soon. However, at this point everything breaks off - you and the courier are blocked, and the recipient of the rubles disappears. Often the courier himself does not suspect his participation in the fraudulent scheme. As a result, you lose money without the possibility of returning anything or making a claim.

There are regular reports of such fraudulent incidents on the Internet. To protect yourself, use offline exchange offices in tourist areas. In such offices, you are personally present during the exchange: the Thai operator provides a Russian account for the transfer and immediately issues cash baht. This method is much more reliable than online exchange. If you need to exchange currency, give preference to official exchange offices or resort to the help of only trusted friends.

Renting a house in Thailand: top fraudulent schemes with apartments and deposits

In the real estate rental sector in Thailand, scammers are especially inventive. They use real photos and videos of existing properties, create fake documents and may even have offices to gain the trust of tourists. Let's look at the main fraud schemes and ways to protect yourself.

Typical fraudulent schemes

When searching for accommodation in Thailand, many people face a common situation: travel packages are expensive, you found a cheap ticket, and now you are looking for a good option for accommodation. After making a request in apartment rental chats, you are bombarded with tempting offers in your personal messages – one more profitable than the other. And the price is great, and the location is exactly what you wanted. As confirmation, they send photos, videos, and even screenshots of reviews from people who supposedly lived there. And then the pressure begins: “Send a deposit urgently, high season, everything is taken, there are almost no houses or apartments on offer!”

And so you send a deposit... After which the "landlords" disappear, their accounts are blocked, and it is unclear where to go. But in fact, such cheap apartments did not exist. And this is not the worst-case scenario - at least you only lost the deposit while you were at home. It is much worse when you arrive at a condominium with a fake contract in hand, try to move in, and there is no one there who has heard of you. And now you are in Thailand, without housing and with suitcases.

How to protect yourself? Contact only verified companies, who work openly in chats under their own name. Check their message history, make sure they have an office and reviews on Google Maps. A reliable agent is always ready to meet in person and say: “Look, it’s me – the same person from the avatar and from the website. Let’s go, I’ll show you the apartment you want to rent.”

The Case of the Thai Manager

This is the most common case. And if you think that scammers in bangkok or all of Thailand - these are only our Russian-speaking compatriots, then you are deeply mistaken. In Pattaya, there was a high-profile case when a Thai condo manager was involved in renting, and at first everything went well. She had a large pool of apartments, but one day she collected deposits from new tenants and disappeared.

Then the agents who worked with her, and individuals, tourists, and apartment owners suffered. And most importantly, now after this incident, you need to understand that the option "I'll come to the condo and rent it directly" is also not guaranteed.

The safety of tourists in Thailand largely depends on knowledge and compliance with local laws. Safety rules for tourists here have their own specifics, and ignorance of the laws can lead to serious consequences.

Important Laws of Thailand for Tourists 2025: Fines, Prohibitions and Rules

Legislation of Thailand is famous for its hospitality, but at the same time has strict laws, the violation of which can lead to serious consequences for tourists. It is especially important to know about the rules, which can be very different from the usual norms in other countries.

Electronic cigarettes

Huge fines in Thailand — this is not a myth, but a reality. Anyone who does not know the rules and laws will have to pay 5, 10, 20 thousand baht, and sometimes even 400. For example, for importing and using electronic cigarettes, you face a fine of up to 300 thousand baht or even imprisonment for up to 10 years. They say that in Thailand, the law prohibits the use of hookahs, vapes, electronic cigarettes for both Thais and foreigners. Undoubtedly, here you can get a real punishment!

Despite the fact that electronic cigarettes were created as a way to help people quit smoking, in Thailand they believe that they, on the contrary, will push young people to start "vaping" at an even earlier age. Many tourists, not knowing this rule, bring electronic cigarettes to Thailand, use them here, and everything seems to be fine... Of course, this happens.

However, this does not mean that the law does not exist, and most importantly, it does not mean that the police cannot apply it to you at any time. I will give a real example: a friend of mine on Volkov Street, after many months of using an electronic cigarette, simply had a smoke and put it in her purse. A policeman approached her and said: "You just smoked an electronic cigarette, and it is in your purse."

But in the end they were bargaining on the spot for up to 8 thousand. It turns out that when necessary, even “non-working” laws work. So be careful. (for those interested in the topic, look here: www.coconuts.co/bangkok/news/no-vaping-and-vapes-are-not-illegal-in-thailand-heres-why/).

Cannabis and its regulation

Until 2018, Thailand had the strictest laws for tourists regarding the use, sale, purchase of drugs. Many remember the famous film "Bangkok Hilton", which was supposed to make foreigners refuse to even think about drugs in Thailand, because the punishment for this was either life imprisonment or even the death penalty. In the amazing country of Thailand, the prohibitions are amazing: IQOS is prohibited, and cannabis is allowed, but only to buy - for use in public places up to a fine of 25,000 baht.

Drone Use Rules

The following rule should be known by tourists who bring a drone and are going to take beautiful pictures with it. In order to import a drone, you do not need anything, import is absolutely free, but in order to get the drone into the air, you must register, obtain a license and take out insurance to protect someone else's property from the fall of your drone. Otherwise, if you fly without these documents, the fine will be from 40 to 100 thousand baht or even imprisonment from one to five years, depending on the damage.

This applies to all drones equipped with a camera, regardless of their weight. Link to drone registration rules, what is required and in which organizations fanclubthailand.co.uk/advice-on-flying-a-drone-in-thailand/. And I can also offer you a link from DJI - they help register drones, but this is in Line, and the Line app only works in Thailand, in general, only for those who really, really need it: www.krapaotang.co.th/.

I would also like to warn those who are planning to "fly" over national parks. Even if you have absolutely all the documents, to fly over national parks you still need a special permit from the Department of National Parks. This is especially true for marine parks near Phuket.

So, for example, when you come as part of some excursion, you disembark on a beautiful island, there are already rangers on the island, and they monitor everyone who is going to "fly" a drone. They come up and ask if you have permission. You show absolutely all the documents, but they say that you need Permission from the Department of National Parks. So if you have some beautiful films in your plans, keep this in mind in advance.

Excursions in Pattaya and Phuket: a guide to choosing reliable tour operators

How not to become a victim of scammers in Thailand when choosing excursions? This question worries many tourists, especially during the high season. Let's look at the basic safety rules when choosing a tour operator.

Tourists are very afraid of being ripped off by excursions, afraid of spending more than the excursion actually costs, or that the program will be different from everyone else's. That's why they spend whole days in the heat walking around tourist booths, choosing, reading price lists, comparing excursions and prices.

I want to tell you that all this, unfortunately, is a waste of your precious, in the truest sense of the word in today's times, tourist time, your vacation time. Why?

How the tourism business works

In tourism, there are operators and agents. Operators are those who develop excursions. They come up with a route, sign a contract with a hotel, a restaurant, a museum. The operator has guides on staff, has its own fleet of cars, and also gives its own unique name to the excursion, for example, "Paradise on the River Kwai" or "Underwater Odyssey".

And then the operators sell their excursions through agents. Agents are all those same numerous street booths, online services, and also just private individuals. Therefore, all agents have the same excursions and at the same price. Each agent can simply give you different discounts depending on how many excursions you end up buying from them and what kind of guide they have.

Common types of fraud in Thailand: how to recognize a scam on holiday

In addition to the main types of fraud and pitfalls described above, there are many other ways to cheat tourists in Thailand, which are constantly being improved and adapted to new conditions.

This was only part of the advice that I can give you, because there are, of course, more sophisticated fraud schemes. For example, on the beach, a man of Indian appearance can come up to you and say that he has a super remedy for fast hair growth on your bald head. But I think we will leave such unique cases for later, and perhaps you have encountered them. And of course, have a safe and good holiday!