A German tourist has filed a police complaint in Thailand after allegedly being duped into paying more than £500 for herbal products that promised to regrow his hair but appeared to have no proven effect.
The 57-year-old man, identified by police as Yilmaz Yuezbazi, reported the incident at Mueang Pattaya Police Station shortly after midnight on Wednesday. He told officers he believes he was deliberately targeted because he is a foreign tourist.
According to Mr Yuezbazi, he was walking through the busy tourist area near Pattaya Soi 13/2 when a stranger approached him and struck up a friendly conversation. The discussion later turned to hair loss, with the man claiming he sold a powerful herbal remedy capable of stimulating new hair growth.
Mr Yuezbazi said the suspect strongly promoted the product’s effectiveness and persuaded him to buy two bottles for more than 22,000 baht, equivalent to about £524. He was then escorted to a nearby herbal medicine shop, where he made the payment and received the products.
After examining the bottles more carefully later, the tourist said he began to doubt the claims. He told police that neither the packaging nor the ingredients supported the promise of hair regrowth and that the price appeared to be vastly inflated.
Feeling he had been misled, Mr Yuezbazi returned to the police station to formally lodge a complaint, submitting the two bottles as evidence. A local Facebook page, We Love Pattaya, reported that the suspect is believed to be a Pakistani national, based on information provided by the victim and the circumstances of the incident. The page also claimed that similar groups have allegedly operated herbal medicine shops in the area and regularly target foreign tourists with so-called “miracle” products.
Police say such cases are not uncommon in Pattaya. In previous incidents, authorities have reportedly summoned sellers and ordered refunds, though suspects are often released without facing significant penalties. Last month, another German tourist complained after paying 140,000 baht for what was advertised as miracle hair oil, while an Australian man reported spending 13,500 baht on herbal medicine later found to be worth about 100 baht.
Officers are now reviewing the latest complaint as part of broader efforts to curb scams targeting tourists. Thai tourism officials have repeatedly warned that foreign visitors are frequently targeted in major destinations such as Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, where scammers exploit language barriers and unfamiliarity with local prices. Common schemes include fake gem and herbal medicine sales, vehicle damage claims, and inflated charges for taxis, tours and rentals.
