A German engineer was duped by a miracle hair scam in Thailand just days before Christmas.

Yilmaz Yuzbasi, 57, said he was walking along Pattaya Beach Road when a foreign man offered to regrow his balding hair.

The silver-tongued salesman was said to have sold him two jars of herbal medicine for a staggering 22,000 baht (524 GBP), promising the panacaea would give him thick, lush hair.

But the German engineer lodged a report at the Pattaya City Police Station on December 25, when he realised the claims were bogus days after using the overpriced product.

He said: 'The total 470 euro and 4,900 baht, 22,000 baht in total.'

Police warned that several tourists have already fallen victim to similar scams around Pattaya, believed to be run by Pakistani gangs. They added that the case was under investigation.

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.

The incident came just a month after another German tourist, Nadir Altaf, 52, was fleeced in a similar hair growth scam in the same city.

He had bought bottles of dodgy oils, worth just 100 baht per bottle in local supermarkets, for 4,000 euros.

Police later arrested the suspects who agreed to return the money.

Tourists are regularly attacked or caught up in crime, leading Pattaya to be dubbed 'Sin City'.

Embarrassed officials in the central government have launched tourism initiatives to attract families and rebrand Pattaya as a safe destination.
Authorities have also introduced safety measures, such as improved lighting and CCTV.

Despite some success in cleaning up the town's image, alcohol and sex remain its biggest draws, often leading to a high rate of crime and accidents.