An Indian tourist filed a complaint at Pattaya City Police Station on November 7, claiming he was scammed into buying two bottles of a so-called “magic herb” from two Pakistani men, at 10,000 baht each. According to TV Channel 7, police say other tourists have fallen victim to similar scams.
The 34-year-old, whose identity was not disclosed, told Pol. Lt. Akarapong Saenputawong, a deputy inspector at Pattaya City Police, that while walking along Pattaya Second Road, the two Pakistani men approached him after noticing birthmarks on both of his hands. They told him about a shop in the area selling a miraculous herb, claiming that mixing it with honey and consuming it for two weeks would cure his ailment.
The men took him to a store where the herb was sold at 900 baht per gram, along with a bottle of honey priced at 1,000 baht. The tourist said he initially decided against the purchase, but the shopkeeper insisted he had to buy two bottles of the herb, as it was already mixed, with each bottle priced at 10,000 baht, totaling 20,000 baht.
Later, while dining at a restaurant, the tourist met another visitor who recognized the bottles and revealed that he, too, had been scammed in the same way. The man told him many other tourists had also been deceived by the fraudulent sale of overpriced herbal products. Realizing he had been conned, the tourist decided to report the incident to the police.
Pol. Lt. Akarapong has since coordinated with investigators to examine the shop and pursue legal action against those involved. He noted that while some victims had already returned to their home countries, multiple tourists had been tricked into purchasing the overpriced items. Several scammers had already been arrested, but he warned that such fraudulent activities continue unabated, posing a threat to Pattaya’s reputation as a tourist destination.
