The Tourism Authority of Thailand's website is one of the most comprehensive sites maintained by Thai authorities. It's thorough and friendly for the navigator seeking useful information. Thailand's sandy beaches and pristine jungles lure visitors from halfway around the world. Our five-star hotels provide services at a fraction of what one would pay in New York or Paris.

"Amazing Thailand", "Land of Smiles", "Smooth as Silk" ... the slogans and catch phrases have become familiar. But dig just a little deeper and things don't look so pretty. Swindles and rip-offs are frequent in this industry that so many Thais depend on for a livelihood.

It's the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression on foreign victims, in spite of the fact that only a handful of greedy criminals are to blame.

Two days ago, a tour bus driver and his three male staff abandoned their vehicle - leaving about 20 tourists stranded - after it was discovered that they had stolen passengers' cash and other belongings. It was an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Three of the tourists - who were mostly from France, Israel and the US - said they had lost Bt100,000 ($2,907) and valuables including cameras, laptops and iPods.

In defence of the honour of Thai people, we can always say that this was the work of a handful of scam artists. But let's not fool ourselves. We watch foreigners, as well as Thais, get ripped off every day in front of our eyes and we choose not to do anything about it.

Let's start with the people who are supposed to know better - the (ir)responsible officials directly and indirectly linked to the industry. Authorities at Suvarnabhumi Airport, for example, turn a blind eye to unlicensed taxis, the so-called "ghost cabs", and the drivers and touts who swarm all over passengers in the arrival hall. They will take you anywhere for a ridiculously inflated price. Foreigners, of course, are their favourite targets.

Even in town, taxi drivers picking up foreign passengers often like to play dumb by not turning on their meters so they can jack up the fare at the end. Many cabbies don't realise that many foreigners live in Bangkok and may know the roads better than some Thais. Even upcountry Thais in Bangkok for the first time often complain of the same treatment.

This is not to say that Bangkok is unique in that locals can't resist the temptation to rip off foreigners. The same attitude is found in tourist spots the world over. But it doesn't mean it's right.

When it comes to tourism, we often boast about our five stars. But a stone's throw from the big hotels, touts with jewellery shop brochures keep an eye out for potential victims. It's one thing to sell a fake Rolex on Silom Road for a few dollars to a tourist who knows exactly what he's buying, but it's an entirely different matter to sell fake gems at huge prices.

But besides ripping off foreign visitors and newcomers to the city, Thais also do themselves a great injustice by exploiting the environment for quick cash. Safety around public transportation is another headache for both foreigners and locals. Many bus drivers drive like bats out of hell, giving absolutely no consideration to the safety of passengers. As shocking as it is true, we wait for ferries to capsize before passing out life jackets.

What the TAT websites and brochures do not show is the trash that fouls the roads up and down Koh Samet; the restaurants whose owners give little heed to regulations that prohibit them from building three-storey facilities on beachfronts or extending cement floors over the sand; or the bus or train conductors and cargo personnel who go through people's luggage and steal their personal belongings.

Perhaps the English poet was right. Paradise will always be lost.