Tourist in Thailand quoted '4,000' for coconut oil, gets charged in euros, not baht

A German tourist, 52, was deceived into paying €4,000 (S$6,040) for herbal coconut oil in Pattaya, Thailand. 

The seller quoted a price of "4,000" without clearly specifying the currency, reported Khaosod English.

He assumed it was 4,000 baht (S$160.60), but ended up getting charged in euros instead. 

Coconut oil scam

The victim, Nadir Altaf, filed a complaint with Thailand's Pattaya City Police Station on Nov. 12.

He'd been wandering the streets of Pattaya when he was approached by a foreign man, appearing to be of Middle Eastern descent.

The man offered to sell him herbal coconut oil with supposed miraculous hair growth properties.

Altaf followed the seller to his shop, where he purchased five bottles of the oil.

The seller quoted a price of "4,000" which Altaf assumed meant 4,000 baht.

But upon swiping his credit card for purchase, he was instead charged €4,000.

Reported to police

Once he discovered the scam, Altaf reported the incident to the Thai police.

"I felt cheated the moment I saw the amount," he said according to The Pattaya News. "This is unfair, and I want justice."

According to local police, such incidents occur regularly in the area with some victims choosing not to file reports.

But such scams continue despite "multiple raids and several arrests".

An inspector with the Pattaya City police lamented that such scams damage Pattaya's reputation.

He added that they would work with investigation units to locate the shop and identify the seller.

Top photo from Khaosod English