Pattaya, Thailand – January 15th, 2026 – Police in Pattaya are investigating a major pickpocketing incident after a foreign tourist fell victim to a sophisticated scam carried out by two foreign nationals who befriended him before swiftly stealing cash and fleeing the scene.
The victim, a foreign national whose name and nationality was withheld at their request, reported the theft to The Pattaya News reporters around 5:30 p.m. on January 14th, 2026, after discovering the loss. According to the complaint, the incident occurred at approximately 7:00 a.m. on January 13th, 2026, in a soi (alley) next to the Marine Hotel in South Pattaya.
The suspects, described as two well-dressed foreign men who appeared trustworthy, approached the victim together. One engaged him in friendly conversation and light-hearted banter, asking where he was from and how he was enjoying his vacation, quickly building a false sense of trust. Taking advantage of a moment of distraction, one of the men deftly reached into the victim’s pocket and stole cash worth about 8,500 Baht in AED currency (United Arab Emirates) along with 1,500 Thai baht. The total value of the stolen money amounted to over 10,000 Baht.
In the photos the main suspect is the shorter man wearing a hat. The victim is the taller man in a collared shirt.
The victim provided The Pattaya News journalists with clear footage from multiple CCTV cameras in the area, which captured the suspects’ actions in detail. The video shows the two men arriving together, one initiating the interaction to distract the victim, and then both escaping on a waiting motorcycle immediately after the theft.
Shocked upon realizing the money was gone, the victim reported the incident to Pattaya City Police Station, urging officers to track down and prosecute the suspects.
The victim has issued a public warning to both residents and tourists in Pattaya to exercise heightened caution. He stated that even in busy tourist areas in the daylight filled with people, criminals are bold enough to strike, especially when strangers approach and try to strike up overly friendly conversations.
Pattaya police continue to monitor the situation amid reports of various scams targeting visitors in the city.
Another common scam that we have reported on over a dozen times over the past year involves a friendly foreigner approaching a tourist offering them a miracle herbal cure to regrow hair or lose weight, then use this to scam the tourist into buying extremely overpriced herbs that don’t deliver the promised results.
