Card Scams
Card scams can involve being befriended by a local and asked to join in a friendly game of cards. Once you have won a few times, the stakes increase and your winning streak disappears. These scams can have serious consequences – local gangs have been known to force victims into withdrawing large sums of money from ATM machines (or risk fingers being cut off) in order to pay these card game debts. There are many sad stories told about why you should join in a game of cards, such as to help the family earn enough money to pay for a hospital bill or medical operation. Avoid getting involved. Gambling is illegal in Thailand.
Credit Card Fraud
Have you ever eaten at a restaurant, paid with a credit card, and forgotten to get your copy of the credit card receipt? Did you know that many of these receipts have your credit card number printed right there for anyone to see (and use)? And, if you've signed them, your signature is also right there for someone to carefully copy. This can lead to the most simple form of identity theft. With this bit of information, some unscrupulous person can be well on his way to making purchases either by phone or on the Internet using your credit card number. You won't know about it until you get your statement (a good reason why you should always study the charges on your credit card statements!). All they have to have, in most cases, is your mailing address, which can be looked up in a phone book or easily found on the Internet.