Zig zag scam is a confidence trick where one is falsely accused of shoplifting, and then held by police or those claiming to be authorities until they pay a large 'bail' for the alleged theft. At times those fleeced are shown fake closed-circuit television footage. In multiple specific cases in Thailand, this confidence trick has occurred at the airport, and thus is called a Thai airport scam or Thai zig zag scam.
Specific cases
According to BBC, police in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport have participated in a series of these scams, robbing tourists of thousands of dollars each time. A British couple was charged with stealing a wallet, an Irish woman was charged with stealing eye-liner, and an Australian man was charged with stealing a doughnut, all in July 2009.