PATTAYA, Thailand: An Indian tourist reported being robbed of 3,000 baht early Friday in Pattaya after a group of foreigners, one from Iran, approached him under the pretext of asking about foreign currency from India and what it looked like, police said. An Iranian man, a woman with a child, and another foreigner who has no ID and his identity is unclear were detained.
Mr. Ravi, 43, an Indian national, filed a complaint at 12:20 a.m. on September 4th, 2026, with Police Lt. Col. Kittiphat Khajonphongchaikul, an investigating officer at Muang Pattaya Police Station in Chonburi province. He said the group distracted him and snatched the cash. A video recorded by a bystander was submitted as evidence.
Investigators later detained three people. One was identified as Mr. Mostafa, 46, an Iranian national. A second man, who was not carrying a passport, was held for further checks. A third suspect, a foreign woman, fled quickly after the incident with a young child in her arms.
Ravi told police he encountered the three people on Pattaya Soi 2. They were friendly and first asked where he was from and then asked what currencies he was carrying and what color Indian banknotes were, claiming they had never seen Indian currency before. He replied that he had only Thai baht and took out about 3,000 baht to show them when they claimed they were new to Thailand and unsure what it looked like. While one person kept him talking and distracted, another basically used sleight of hand techniques to take the cash and passed the money to the woman holding the child. She then walked away with the child.
Police said the detained suspects were being questioned and that officers were trying to locate the woman who fled so she could be brought in for questioning and further legal action. She was reportedly located later this morning but her identity was not released.
The Pattaya News notes this isn’t a new scam and has reported on this many times previously over the years. Police have previously warned tourists that anyone approaching you in a friendly manner asking to see what foreign funds look like should be ignored and not engaged.
