Tourists coerced into paying to replace a misplaced wallet in the Khao San scam

Only a small portion of visitors visit Thailand today compared to before COVID-19, and if scams like this one are perpetuated and made public, they will scare away travelers at a time when the nation is desperately attempting to attract them back.
This con preys on good-hearted people who want to assist in recovering a stolen wallet. She demanded to know what happened to the additional 5,000–6,000 baht that were in the handbag when she lost it instead than being grateful that the good Samaritan had returned her lost item. Recently, a man told the local media that while he was leaving a pub on the notorious party route late at night, after all the clubs and nightlife shut down, he happened upon a wallet on the ground, laying innocently next to a lamppost. He took it up, looked inside the missing wallet, and found 1,000 baht. The Chana Songkram police inform the man that because of his good deed, he is now responsible for paying back the money that the owner of the lost wallet claims is missing. He tried to get help and reached out to some local Thai acquaintances, but no one could help him, so he was left with little alternative than to pay the woman for her services. The situation worsened when a woman showed up the following day to pick up the stolen wallet. A fresh warning has been issued as yet another fraud targeting international visitors is being carried out on Khao San Road, the world-famous backpacker destination. Despite his protests, they warned him that if he didn’t give her the cash, he might face theft charges. As the argument got more heated, the cops got involved. It was extremely late and everything was shut, so he made the decision to hold onto it till the next day when he could return it to its rightful owner. He knew he wanted to do the right thing and turn it in, but it was late and everything was closed. The police were siding with the woman, and the man was startled that they were treating him like a criminal for trying to assist. Local merchants admit that they had heard of similar trick being used on foreign visitors in the popular tourist area before. Many are pleading with the police and authorities to intervene in order to stop the execution of this and other scams.
For the time being, be wary about picking up a lost wallet you come across on the street.