A 57-year-old German tourist has filed a police complaint in Pattaya, Thailand, alleging he was tricked into paying over £500 for herbal products that promised to regrow his hair.
Yilmaz Yuezbazi reported to Mueang Pattaya Police Station shortly after midnight on Wednesday, claiming the incident was a targeted scam aimed at foreign visitors.
According to his statement, Yuezbazi was approached by a stranger while walking near the busy tourist area of Pattaya Soi 13/2. The man reportedly engaged him in friendly conversation before steering the discussion toward hair loss, offering a so-called herbal treatment that claimed to stimulate new hair growth.
The tourist said he was persuaded to purchase two bottles of the product for more than 22,000 baht (£524) and was escorted to a nearby herbal medicine shop to complete the transaction.
It was only later, upon closer inspection of the bottles, that Yuezbazi realized the products contained no ingredients capable of promoting hair growth and appeared to be sold at an inflated price. Feeling deliberately misled, he returned to the police with the bottles as evidence.
Local reports on the Facebook page We Love Pattaya suggested the suspect may be a Pakistani national and noted that groups of Pakistani nationals allegedly operate herbal medicine shops in the area, frequently targeting foreign tourists with products claiming “miracle” properties.
Such scams are not uncommon in Pattaya. In recent months, police have received multiple complaints involving overpriced or fake herbal products, often leading to refunds rather than significant legal consequences. Last month, a German tourist reported paying 140,000 baht for “miracle” hair oil, while an Australian visitor bought herbal medicine for 13,500 baht, later discovering it was worth only about 100 baht.
Tourism officials have highlighted that foreign visitors in major Thai destinations—including Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai—are regularly targeted by scams. Common schemes involve bogus herbal remedies, overpriced gem sales, fraudulent motorbike or jet-ski claims, taxi overcharging, and fake investment or rental offers.
Police are currently investigating Yuezbazi’s complaint as part of ongoing efforts to curb tourist-targeted scams in the resort city.
