Floating Market: A Scamming Trap For Tourists

January 21, 2025 – Thailand’s floating markets has long been a popular tourist attractions, famous for their colorful boats and authentic cultural experience.

However, many tourists find themselves falling into scams, with inflated prices and misleading sales tactics. While the markets can be enjoyable, visitors should be cautious and aware of these common tricks.

Thailand Floating Markets, Pixabay

Overcharging on Transactions

A common scamming tactic among these markets are no other than through card payments. Vendors can easily overcharge tourists during the transaction, straying far from the previous agreed price.

On January 2, 2025, two Bruneian tourists fell victim to a scam at a floating market. After paying for activities such as a private boat ride, elephant ride, and photos with a tiger, one of the tourists noticed something odd.

He realized the vendor had added an extra “0” to the original price of 8,346.00 Baht (RM1,095.80), charging him 83,460.00 Baht (around RM10,995.96) instead.

This resulted in an extra charge of approximately RM9,000, much higher than the original price. Though initially confused by the currency, he confronted the vendor, who became visibly flustered when caught in the act.

Actions Taken

The vendor initially refused to admit the mistake, but after the tourist presented strong evidence of the overcharge, she was pressured into a refund.

However, when he contacted a Brunei bank, they confirmed the transaction couldn’t be canceled as the money was still on hold.

The bank in Thailand informed the tourist that they were not responsible for processing the refund and advised him to liaise directly with the vendor.

Final Resolution

After several exchanges with the bank, he finally received reassuring news that the money will be refunded within 14 working days.

He was relieved to hear the update, although the waiting period left him uneasy for the rest of his vacation.

Reflecting on his experience, the tourist regretted paying directly to market vendors instead of booking through trusted platforms like Klook, where prices are more reasonable.

Future Travels

He advised fellow travelers to stay alert for such scamming tactics and be mindful during transactions.

Safer measures include the use of credit cards during travels and preparing emergency cash is also emphasized on.

Although he found the floating market beautiful, he claimed that it would be his last visit to such a place again.

“Floating Market, never again.” He wrote in a video.