The city familiar to Vietnamese people is the place with a high rate of scammed customers.

According to the latest report from Mastercard Economic Institute, Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is identified as the city where tourists are most vulnerable to scams.

The report, highlighted by CNBC , noted that tourism is one of the most vulnerable industries to fraud, with a significant increase in services during peak travel seasons.

According to comprehensive research, fraud in travel and tour booking companies is four times higher than the average for other industries.

Tourists enjoy nightlife in Thailand (Photo: Trip).

The results showed that fraud rates increased sharply seasonally, with increases of more than 18% in summer destinations during hot weather and up to 28% in winter in colder destinations.

Experts from the Mastercard Economic Institute said that Bangkok is considered a hot spot, with taxi and car rental services accounting for 48% of fraud cases.

“Tourists may be asked to pay in advance for a tour or service, but the trip may never take place, or be completely different from what was advertised,” the report said.

Mr. David Mann, chief economist for the Asia- Pacific region of the Mastercard Economic Institute, said that depending on the destination, the common types of fraud also differ.

In Los Angeles, for example, the majority of fraud comes from food service businesses. Additionally, the report found that Phuket, Thailand, and Antalya, Türkiye, were the two cities with the highest rates of hotel-related fraud.

According to data from the Mastercard Economic Institute, Bangkok has the highest rate of tourist scams (Illustration: Trip).

According to the report, taxi and car rental scams accounted for just 2% of all scams in Hong Kong and Barcelona, ​​but jumped to 66% in Jakarta and an alarming 48% in Bangkok, reflecting the particular challenges tourists face in the Thai capital.

It is known that Thailand has long been a familiar destination for Vietnamese tourists. Especially in the journey to Thailand, most tours cannot miss Bangkok.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in 2024, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Thailand reached nearly one million. Of which, the rate of returning visitors and first-time visitors is almost equal. The three summer months are the time when the number of visitors is highest, double the first months of the year with more than 100,000 arrivals/month.

Not only attracting individual Vietnamese tourists, Thailand has also become a destination for groups and families with young children. Many Vietnamese businesses also choose this country to send their employees on vacation in large numbers.

In addition, other cities with the highest rate of tourists being scammed in the world mentioned by the institute are Cancun (Mexico), Hanoi (Vietnam) and Dhaka (Bangladesh).

Meanwhile, food service fraud is prevalent in the United States and the Middle East, accounting for 63% of reported cases in New York City.

According to a Mastercard representative, specific cases that have been discovered in the US include restaurants overcharging customers for food, illegally taking extra tips, or stealing tourists' credit card information.

Data from Mastercard shows that the cities with the lowest rates of fraud reported by travelers include: San Francisco (USA), Dublin (Ireland), Seoul (South Korea), Budapest (Hungary) and Edinburgh (Scotland).

Experts say the results of Mastercard's recent report are a warning to tourists visiting popular destinations.

This unit also recommends that tourists should carefully check services before paying, choose reputable travel agencies and be wary of overly attractive offers.

To protect themselves from fraudulent activities, travelers can set up an e-wallet, purchase travel insurance, or book trips using a credit card with a layer of protection.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/thanh-pho-quen-thuoc-voi-nguoi-viet-la-noi-co-ty-le-khach-bi-lua-dao-cao-20250522231026460.htm