COMMON SCAMS IN KOH SAMUI

Like many other tourist destinations, Koh Samui has its fair share of scams that you should be wary of. 

Koh Samui travel, as with any other venture to any foreign land, can be hampered by scams. The wary tourist is well advised to pay heed to warnings from others who have done Koh Samui travel and have actually had become easy, unknowing prey to “friendly” people out to make easy money.

Holiday Club and Time Share Scams

Koh Samui travel is an easy setting to get scammed since Koh Samui is a prime tourist holiday area. Being such, Koh Samui has a good number of time share and holiday schemes that could easily attract the unsuspecting but willing tourist into putting his hard-earned cash into such a system. On the street, a visitor is first asked to accomplish a “questionnaire” or a “survey”. Afterwards, using his contact information provided in the questionnaire, he is called and informed of winning in a “legit” draw that involves the seemingly “legit” survey he’d participated in. He is then asked to collect his prize. When he arrives, the scam artists use intimidation and pressure to get him to invest money as initial deposit on a holiday club, a property offered for time-share or to attend an orientation seminar on such. This is undoubtedly hard-sell, but some victims are left with no other choice but to pay up in order to get away from such scammers. Koh Samui travel would be much more pleasurable if you won’t have to experience the trauma from such rackets.

Boat/Jetski Insurance Scams

If you choose to do Koh Samui travel, then you’d also somehow wish to enjoy the ocean for which the location is famous for, and what better way to do this than to rent a boat or a jetski. Unfortunately, this fact provides a ripe opportunity for both locals and foreign nationals to prey on unwitting visitors. Their method of operation is simple: they approach you with offers for boat or jetski rentals. They bargain with you, and then let you use the equipment. When you decide to return it, they “inspect” the equipment and come up with a list of damages, which might have already been present in the equipment even before they had it rented out to you. They claim insurance does not cover the damages, so the cost would have to fall on you. Make sure that you emerge from your Koh Samui travel refreshed and not victimized by such scammers.

Precautions To Take While in Koh Samui

            Aside from booking your flight, an important task to do before your Koh Samui vacation is to choose and reserve a nice place to stay at such as the Shasa Resorts. Choosing the perfect accommodation is important because that’s where you’ll be staying after your explorations as well as where you’ll relax during your down time. Aside from this, whenever you go on a vacation, safety should be prioritized. By staying in well-known and respectable places such as ShaSa Resort you’re assured to be safe, at least within the premises. Just like when you go anywhere, there are precautions to take while in Koh Samui. Whether it’s daytime or nighttime, you should always be aware of these.

Make sure to take some precautions while in Koh Samui. There are some well-known Koh Samui scams that can ruin your trip if you aren't careful

            Koh Samui is well known for its beautiful white sand beaches but just like any beach, Koh Samui scams can occur. Aside from this, in some beaches, there are Jet Ski rentals that are priced too high and sometimes tourists are scammed by the renters. This can make your stay a horrible one. Avoid riding a jet ski at the end of the day, as this is the time period when most of the scams occur. Scammers wil threaten you and claim that you crashed or damaged their jet ski.

            When you set off to explore the island, you’ll have to flag a taxi to take you to your destination. Taxis in Koh Samui, however, don’t have meters and most of the time you’ll have to haggle to get the right price. Sometimes, taxi drivers overcharge tourists and if this keeps happening, your shopping money can be depleted. Some hotels and resorts, like ShaSa Resort, can arrange car rentals for you and even arrange tours for you. This will assure that you won’t get scammed while looking for a way to get to where you want to go.

            If you want to end your day by enjoying the nightlife at Koh Samui, just remember to stay aware of your surroundings. When walking around Chaweng, make sure you’re not alone and take care of your belongings as assaults and robberies sometimes happen in the area. Aside from that, when going to a bar or pub, don’t accept drinks from strangers as there have been incidences of tourists getting drugged in these areas. Also, if you happen to go to the red light district, be careful as there have been some reports of sexual offences against tourists. As the night progresses, transportation can once again be a problem because they tend to overcharge when coming from Chaweng. However, if you stay in places like ShaSa Resorts, they can provide shuttles or transportation to get you back to your room safely.

            Your stay in any country should be fun and relatively safe as long as you take some precautions. Residing in the right place, like Shasa Resorts, can definitely minimize the dangers that can happen to you. However, it’s still best to be aware of your surroundings wherever you go and make sure to keep your important belongings with you. At the end of the day, when you stay alert and aware, as well as choose the right accommodations, the precaution that will keep you occupied is applying sunscreen so that your skin won’t get burnt by the sun.