A balding German tourist lost thousands of baht in a miracle hair growth scam in Pattaya.

Hair-conscious Nadir Altaf, 52, said he was browsing shops around the Thai 'Sin City' when he was approached by a foreign man peddling herbal oils and soaps on November 12.

Pointing out Nadir's balding crown and receding hairline, the seller claimed the products had 'miraculous nourishing properties' to cure his thinning barnet.

Nadir said he was convinced and followed the man to his shop. He handed over his credit card, thinking he would be charged just 4,000 baht - only to be stunned later when his statement showed a whopping 4,000-euro charge (149,884 THB) instead.

The furious holidaymaker then reported the alleged scam to the police.

He said: 'I was intrigued by the product, so I followed him to a nearby shop and agreed to buy five bottles. They vaguely mentioned the price as 4,000, and I assumed I would be charged in baht.

'But when I used my credit card, I was billed 4,000 euros. I realised I'd been scammed and decided to file a police report.'

The dodgy oils were worth just 100 baht per bottle and available at a supermarket around the corner.

Police Lieutenant Phupha Hongyakul of the Pattaya City Police Station said: 'The incident has been recorded in the daily log. We have dispatched investigators to the scene to verify the facts for further legal action.

'Similar incidents occur almost every day here. Some victims file reports while others do not. We usually visit the shops involved and secure refunds for the victims.

'Several suspects have already been investigated and arrested in related cases.'

In March, British tourist Malcolm Campbell, 63, from Staffordshire, fell for a similar scam when he was duped by foreign men selling so-called weight loss herbs in Pattaya.

He paid 41,000 baht for two bottles of the 'fat burner' but was later informed by his Thai girlfriend that they were overpriced.

He lodged a complaint with the Pattaya police and the suspects later agreed to refund the money after investigators intervened.

Locals said they were concerned that such incidents were damaging Pattaya's reputation as a tourist destination. They urged authorities to crack down on the scams.

(1 EUR = 37.47 THB)