Phuket Safety and Scams: Who to Call and What to Avoid

Call 1155 for the Tourist Police, available 24 hours. Call 1669 for a medical emergency and 191 to report an incident to police. Do not hand your passport over as a guarantee to a rental business, and decline sightseeing detours that may end at a gem store.

By Vincent Nguyen and team

Who to call: the three times to call 1155

The Tourist Police hotline is 1155, available 24 hours. Call it when:

• You have been scammed. Contact the Tourist Police or call 1155.
• You want a report filed with the regular police. The Tourist Police can assist in contacting the regular Thai police.
• A medical hotline does not give you the response you need. Call 1155 for the Tourist Police or 191 for the Royal Thai Police.

Phuket Tourist Police has its own station in Phuket Town.

The Prevention and Assistance in Tourist Fraud Center in Phuket is at Phuket International Airport, tel +66 76 327100. Tourists who suffer tourist fraud can contact the Bureau of Prevention and Assistance, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, which has 8 centers.

Numbers to save

The 1669 line is part of a countrywide network and is free of charge. The full guide is in Phuket emergency numbers.

Gem-shop and tuk-tuk detours

Give a tuk-tuk or taxi driver exact instructions on where to go and decline sightseeing detours, which may end at a gem store. Neither the Thai government nor the royal family owns, operates or sponsors any gem shop, so ignore a claimed government sale.

If a stranger says a sight is closed, trust the hours listed in a guidebook or online. Take care when travelling in open transport like tuk-tuks.

After a gem scam, file a formal police report and have it translated into English. If a credit card was used, notify the card company at once to ask whether the charge can be disputed or stopped.

Scooter and jet-ski rentals

Do not hand your passport over as a guarantee, for example to motorcycle or jet-ski rental businesses. Companies may hold on to passports against claimed damage.

Rent jet skis or scooters from a reputable company and document the vehicle’s prior damage.

Watch the return check, too. One roadside rental rode the returned scooter out of sight, came back claiming a part was missing and asked 1,000 baht.

Staff made the renter delete the video of the check before they gave back the passport. Film the bike with the staff present, and keep your passport out of the deal. Motorcycles and scooters for hire in tourist areas are often unregistered and cannot be used legally on a public road.

Before you hire a vehicle, make sure your travel insurance covers you and check the small print of the lease agreement, including limits on engine size and necessary licences. Riding a motorcycle in Thailand without a valid licence could invalidate your travel insurance. See getting around Phuket for safer options.

The honey-and-herbs “friend”

A friendly stranger starts a chat in Patong, then turns it to health and a special mix of honey and herbs. He walks you to a grocery store for honey, then to a herbal shop to “get the right ingredients”.

Once the mix is made, the bill is 6,000 baht, and you are told it is too late to refuse because the herbs are mixed. The shop owner acts as if the two have never met.

The approach was still running in Patong in May 2026. A stranger who walks you to a shop you did not choose is the warning sign. Say no and keep walking.

Villa bookings through a “property agent”

In August 2026 police arrested a woman who posed as a property agent and took more than 5 million baht from foreign and Thai victims. One tourist transferred 1.5 million baht for a villa in Cherng Talay, and another 500,000 baht. When they arrived, the villa’s owners and receptionists had no booking in their names.

Before you send money for a villa, contact the villa directly through its own website or a booking platform, and ask it to confirm your booking in writing. The weak link was paying a go-between instead of the villa itself.

Drinks, street crime and laws

Drink spiking and drug-assisted sexual assault happen in tourist areas around Thailand, with male and female victims. Do not leave drinks unattended or accept drinks from strangers. Pre-arrange your transport home so you do not have to accept lifts in unlicensed vehicles.

There have been deaths and cases of serious illness caused by alcoholic drinks containing methanol in Thailand.

Beware of bag-snatchers, especially on motorbikes. Use an ATM in a bank, protect your PIN and do not lose sight of your card during transactions.

Know the baht and the change owed before paying, because shops and restaurants sometimes short-change. Be wary of people soliciting financial assistance, including new ‘friends’ who ask for emergency funds.

Job scams exist: people arrived in Thailand and were illegally transported to neighbouring countries on the promise of high-paying jobs that turned out to be scams.

Laws that catch visitors

• It is illegal to smoke in public, with a fine of up to 5,000 Thai baht.
• It is illegal to possess or use any vape, e-cigarette, pod, e-liquid or heat-not-burn device in Thailand.
• Vape offences can lead to confiscation, fines typically THB 5,000 to 30,000, detention and court proceedings.
• Police may ask to check your passport. A copy of the photo page is usually sufficient.

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Not confirmed: Official beach flag and rip-current rules for Phuket: follow the lifeguard flags on the beach you use and ask the lifeguard before you swim.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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