Pattaya, Thailand – January 3rd, 2026
A 45-year-old Indian tourist has reported being duped into purchasing herbal products at an exorbitant price by a group of foreign men in Pattaya, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into what appears to be a recurring scam targeting visitors.
Mr. Jitendra Sahu filed a complaint at Pattaya City Police Station shortly after 3:09 a.m. on Friday, claiming he was approached by approximately four foreign men of possible Pakistani or Afghan descent while walking along Pattaya Second Road near Soi Marine Plaza around 8:30 p.m. the previous evening.
According to the victim, the men struck up a friendly conversation before claiming their herbal remedies could effectively treat hair loss. They then persuaded him to visit a shop called Thai Natural Herbal, where he purchased two 200-milliliter bottles of an unidentified herbal mixture combined with coconut oil, plus one 100-milliliter bottle of pure coconut oil, for a total of 43,400 baht (approximately $1,250 USD).
Realizing shortly afterward that the price was suspiciously high and the products likely overvalued, Mr. Sahu decided to report the incident to police as evidence and seek legal action.
Investigators have accepted the report and are currently verifying the details while working to identify and question those involved.
This case adds to a series of similar complaints in Pattaya involving aggressive touts, often foreign nationals from border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, selling purported “miracle” herbal remedies for hair growth, weight loss, or other ailments at inflated prices.
Authorities have conducted multiple raids on such operations in recent years, but the scams persist in popular tourist areas. Tourists are advised to exercise caution when approached by strangers offering unsolicited health products.
The Pattaya News has been covering these scams for over a year with over a dozen articles and regular coverage such as this recent one here in which a German engineer fell victim to the same alleged scam.
Another German tourist also reported being conned out of over 140,000 Baht in November in another alleged miracle herb scam.
A young Australian tourist also reported a similar miracle herb scam in November, here.
Police advise tourists to be cautious with any friendly strange foreigners who approach them, especially claiming to have miraculous herbs for weight loss, skin care, and hair loss.
