Tabiji.ai Travel Safety Series · Book 4

Don’t lose a dollar to a “Grand Palace closed today” tuk-tuk.

67 documented tourist scams across 11 Thai cities and islands — drawn from Thai press (Bangkok Post, The Nation Thailand, Khaosod English, Thai PBS, Thaiger) and Tourist Police (1155) records. You’ll learn the exact scripts scammers use in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, the red flags that give them away, and the Thai phrases that shut them down.

📖 ~220 pages paperback / ~170 Kindle 📱 Kindle eBook 🌍 11 cities & islands ⚠️ 67 scams
Buy on Amazon → $4.99 on Kindle 5.0 · 4 reviews
Thailand: Tourist Scams book cover — watercolor illustration of the Grand Palace closed scam with tuk-tuk driver

Inside this book

A preview of what’s documented — scripts, red flags, and the moves that shut each scam down.

67 scams 11 cities & islands Thai press & Tourist Police records Updated annually
Excerpt · Bangkok

The “Grand Palace Closed Today” Tuk-Tuk

You step off the BTS at Saphan Taksin or walk toward Sanam Luang, and a smiling man in uniform-adjacent attire intercepts you: “Grand Palace closed today — royal ceremony. I show you better temple, only 20 baht.” The tuk-tuk driver waiting at the corner takes you on a loop through three gem shops and a “government tailor,” each one paying him a fuel-voucher kickback. Bangkok Post and Tourist Police (1155) have documented this script for more than fifteen years — the palace is almost never actually closed…

Red flag: Anyone outside the actual palace ticket gate telling you the palace is closed.
Full scam, the three gem-shop fronts & the exact Thai exit script in the book.
Excerpt · Phuket

The Patong Jet-Ski Damage Deposit

You rent a jet-ski on Patong Beach for 1,500 baht an hour, hand over your passport as “deposit,” and twenty minutes later the operator points to a pre-existing scratch on the hull and demands 30,000–80,000 baht in cash “for repair.” Phuket Tourist Police and the Bangkok Post have logged this exact cycle on Patong, Karon, and Kata for more than a decade — the same scratches, the same tear-stained negotiation, the same threats of “police” who turn out to be on the operator’s payroll…

Red flag: Any jet-ski or motorbike operator asking for your passport as the deposit.
Full pattern, the pre-rental photo protocol & the phrase that kills it — inside.
Excerpt · Chiang Mai

The Doi Suthep Kickback Tour

At Tha Phae Gate, a songthaew driver offers a “full-day temple tour” for a suspicious 800 baht — Doi Suthep, long-neck village, orchid farm, the works. What you actually get is four kickback stops: a jade factory, a silver showroom, a “hill-tribe” compound that pays per head, and an umbrella workshop, with Doi Suthep squeezed into twenty rushed minutes at the end. Khaosod English and The Nation Thailand have covered the Chiang Mai kickback-tour circuit repeatedly — the shops pay the driver 100–300 baht per tourist delivered…

Red flag: A day tour priced well below the posted rate at the Tourism Authority of Thailand office.
Full pattern, the four kickback fronts & the phrase that ends it — inside.

A look inside

Every scam in the book gets a four-panel comic. A sneak peek of two of the 67:

The “Grand Palace Closed Today” Tuk-Tuk — comic illustration
Bangkok · The “Grand Palace Closed Today” Tuk-Tuk
The Patong Jet-Ski Damage Deposit — comic illustration
Phuket · The Patong Jet-Ski Damage Deposit

11 cities and islands covered

From Bangkok tuk-tuk kickback loops to Phuket jet-ski damage deposits to Koh Tao motorbike passport-hostage claims — full coverage of where travelers actually get caught out.

🛕 Bangkok
🏮 Chiang Mai
🏯 Ayutthaya
🏖️ Pattaya
🌴 Hua Hin
🌊 Phuket
🛶 Krabi
🥥 Koh Samui
🌕 Koh Phangan
🐠 Koh Tao
⛵ Koh Phi Phi

Why tabiji.ai writes these books

Volumes 1 (Japan, 60 scams), 2 (Italy, 149), and 3 (France, 191) set the series structure. Thailand is smaller in scam count but dense in archetype scams that repeat across Southeast Asia — the palace-closed tuk-tuk opener, the rental-damage deposit cycle, the meter-is-broken taxi refusal. Learn the Thailand pattern and you’ll spot the same move in Hanoi, Siem Reap, and Bali.

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Thai-press sourced, not Reddit-only

Every scam is documented against Thai news coverage — Bangkok Post, The Nation Thailand, Khaosod English, Thai PBS, Thaiger — plus Tourist Police (dial 1155) and Royal Thai Police bulletins, Tourism Authority of Thailand consumer advisories, and firsthand traveler accounts. Named operators and dated incidents where we have them.

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Thai phrases, not vague warnings

A full appendix of Thai exit phrases — “mai ao krap” (no thank you), “pai rong phak tam ruat” (let’s go to the police station), taxi-songthaew-baht-bus fare scripts — with pronunciation guides and when to use them. Plus the 6 universal scam patterns that let you spot variations we haven’t documented yet.

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Updated annually

Scams evolve. Patong jet-ski operators rotate names each season. Koh Tao motorbike shops change signage every monsoon. The Bangkok airport taxi queue now has a posted 400–500 baht metered rate plus 50 baht surcharge — we re-research and update each book every year. Buy once, re-download future editions from your Amazon library.

TABIJI · TRAVEL SAFETY What the guidebooks won’t tell you. Bangkok runs one of the most rehearsed scam scripts in Asia. Phuket and Koh Tao work a jet-ski-and-motorbike deposit cycle. Phi Phi and Samui pier tickets cost half at the real booth. This book documents 67 specific scams across 11 Thai cities and islands — drawn from Bangkok Post, The Nation Thailand, Khaosod English, Thai PBS, and Tourist Police (1155) records. You’ll learn the exact scripts scammers use, the red flags that give them away, and the Thai phrases that shut them down on the spot. INSIDE 67 scams with exact Thai scripts and baht amounts Six universal red-flag patterns covering every scam in Thailand A four-panel watercolor comic for every scam entry Coverage of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi & 7 more Thai phrases you will encounter at the scene, with pronunciation PLUS A Thai exit-phrase card you can screenshot to your phone A post-scam recovery playbook (first 15 min, first hour, first day) Emergency contacts: 1155 Tourist Police + every major hospital KINDLE EDITION · 2026

“What the guidebooks won’t tell you.”

Part of the Travel Safety Series

Thailand is Volume 4 of 15 flagship titles. Japan (Volume 1), Italy (Volume 2), and France (Volume 3) are live. Each country gets the same treatment — real traveler stories, local-press sourced, annual updates.

🇯🇵

Japan →

Volume 1 · Live
🇮🇹

Italy →

Volume 2 · Live
🇫🇷

France →

Volume 3 · Live
🇹🇭

Thailand

Volume 4 · Featured

🇲🇽

Mexico

Coming 2026

🇻🇳

Vietnam

Coming 2026

🇪🇸

Spain

Coming 2026

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See the full series →

All upcoming titles

Frequently asked

Quick answers about the book, pricing, and updates.

What format is this book?

Kindle eBook — readable on any phone, tablet, or computer with the free Kindle app, as well as on any Kindle device. A ~220-page paperback edition is planned for 2026.

How long is it?

Approximately 220 pages in paperback, ~170 pages on Kindle — written to be read in a single flight over and referenced on your phone in-country.

How much does it cost?

$4.99 USD on Amazon Kindle. Price varies slightly by Amazon region.

Will the book be updated?

Yes — we re-research and update each book annually as scams evolve. Buy once, re-download future editions from your Amazon library at no extra cost.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. Amazon’s standard Kindle refund policy applies — you have 7 days from purchase to return for a full refund, no questions asked.

Readers

★ 5.0 from 4 verified reviews.

From verified Amazon readers of Thailand: Tourist Scams 2026.

★★★★★

"Great book that easily paid for itself. Sometimes I forget how much stronger the dollar is — even if it's not a lot of money, I'd still be overpaying by multiple times in Thailand. An easy read that educated me and prepared me for one of my favorite countries."

MichaelVerified Purchase
Kindle edition
★★★★★

"Goes beyond typical travel advice by exposing real scams backed by Thai news reports and tourist police records, which adds serious credibility. Perfect for both first-time visitors and seasoned travelers."

Rachel Nicholls
Kindle edition
★★★★★

"This is a very comprehensive book that covers all of the scams imaginable. What really makes this book great is that it breaks the scams down by location. With so many to keep an eye out for, it can be hard to keep track of them all, but by knowing what to look for in each specific place, it makes everything much more manageable."

Jeff Wolff
Kindle edition

Available now on Amazon Kindle

67 scams, 11 cities and islands, the exact scripts and Thai exit phrases you need. $4.99 — read it on the flight over.

Buy on Amazon →
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