Buyer beware: 10 common travel scams

Jul 11, 2011 12:31:04 AM

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While you’re often safer overseas than you are in your hometown, a few scams seem to pop up all over the world. Repeat the mantra: if it looks too good to be true, it must be too good to be true…

1. Fake police

Sometimes also the real police, they’ll demand to see your passport and find something wrong with your visa, but then suggest your troubles will all be over if you pay a fine. To them. In cash. Right now. Standing your ground and offering to accompany them to the station will usually see the error ‘excused’.

2. Gem or carpet deals

On entry into a store, often prompted by an enthusiastic taxi or rickshaw driver, you will be offered a deal so preposterously lucrative that refusing it seems unthinkable. Think again – those gems are going to be worthless and the carpet you buy may not make it home at all. There are legitimate traders selling both jewels and rugs, and they don’t act like this.

3. Airport taxis

Drivers taking you into town might try every trick in the book, from asking you for an inflated fare to driving around the streets to raise the price higher. This is usually harmless, but you should only travel with licensed taxis and, if you can’t pay in advance, agree on a fee before starting out and don’t pay until you get where you want to be.

4. Timeshares

You’re approached by an extremely genial young man who offers you a scratchie card, no strings attached. He’s friendly, so you accept the scratchie card and, lo and behold, you’ve won some sort of prize, which could be anything from a t-shirt and cash to a holiday. What’s the catch? The local insists you must accompany him to a hotel (which might be an hour’s drive away) to collect your prize. If you haven’t smelled a rat by now, you need your senses tested.

The penny drops, you start staring at the ground and shifting your feet uncomfortably, the seemingly-genuine local says that if you don’t come with him, then he won’t get paid for his job. However, if you do end up going with him, on arriving at the hotel you’ll be shuffled into a room with a bunch of other tourists and forced into watching an hour-long presentation about timeshare apartments, which you are pressured into buying at a very special discounted price by slick Westerners. If you come out of it with your wallet intact, at worst you would have wasted an entire afternoon you could have spent lying on the beach.

5. ‘This is closed’

In some countries everyone from touts to taxi drivers will try to tell you that your chosen hotel, restaurant or shop is closed…but there’s another, even better one you should visit, where they can pick up a commission. This is more annoying than harmful, but always insist on having a look for yourself.

6. Motorbike scam #1

Living out your dream of riding a scooter for a day around the countryside quickly turns into a nightmare when the bike you’re riding breaks down or you have an accident. The owner of the motorbike is quick to escort you and your damaged bike (which doesn’t look in that bad a state) to the repair joint of their choice, where the mechanic makes a grossly overinflated estimate of the damage costs. The owner of the motorbike insists you cover the costs, otherwise no customers will want to rent his bike. You shell out hundreds of dollars to cover the costs of the damage you possibly made, plus cosmetic improvements to the bike that you have now also covered for the owner.

More than likely, you’ve just lined their pockets with more cash than the locals would earn in a month. Take photographs of the bike before you start riding, preferably with the renter in them, so they can’t blame you for imaginary damage costs to the vehicle. And don’t rent from companies that are attached to hotels or guest houses.

7. Motorbike scam #2

The motorbike you have hired comes with a lock and two keys: you have one, and your rental company has the other. When you park the scooter and wander off, an enterprising person from the rental company arrives and ‘steals’ your scooter, thus later requesting you pay a large sum of money to replace the ‘stolen’ scooter. As you handed them your passport and you signed a contract, you’re obligated to pay for it. Carry your own lock and key and an old passport to avoid getting sucked into this scam.

8. Bird shit

The surprising splat of bird shit landing on you from a great height is followed by the swift appearance of a stranger who towels you down. In the confusion, valuables are removed from your person, never to be seen again. Another variation on the same scam has someone ‘accidentally’ spilling mustard or other condiments on you.

9. Bar/tea shop scam

Notoriously aimed at male travellers, young local girls approach a tourist and, after gaining trust with some idle chit-chat, you agree to accompany them to a local bar/tea shop. Thrilled at the opportunity to converse with a couple of local lasses, you offer to buy them a drink. On receipt of the bill, the girls are gone, and all you are left with is a massive shock when you glimpse the sum total, which can amount to hundreds of dollars.

10. Hotel scams

As you hop off the train or bus into a strange town and into a waiting taxi, you ask them to take you to a specific hotel. You’re dropped off, hand over the money for several night’s worth of accommodation, you’re persuaded to sign up for a number of day tours then escorted to your hotel room. The hotel’s unusually quiet and it doesn’t seem like the advertised atmosphere. Alarm bells ring: you’ve been duped by the friendly local who talked to you on the bus, and the quick phone call he had to make was to the awaiting taxi, whose driver was very quick to escort you to the hotel of their choice.

Like a well-oiled machine, they worked together to ensure you handed over all your cash immediately, and fleeced you for a couple of tours while they were at it. Many hotels trade on the names of popular hotels and are rarely of the same standard, so make sure you check the name and address of the place before you’re shuffled in to sign your life away.

This article was authored by Tom Hall and Kylie McLaughlin.

Also check out:

Ten tips for preventing theft during travel – tips from the Thorn Tree forum

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Comments

10 September 2010 9:57AM stacywithnoe Report this comment
Great article! Travel is a beautiful thing, but it's even better when you're prepared for the uglier aspects.
25 April 2011 9:43PM lynettesker Report this comment
in Shenzhen (China), while in shops, con artists will say that there more displays in their stock room and when you go with them, they will force you to buy more than what you intended to shop. beware of this trap!
25 April 2011 11:08PM capecodrealtor Report this comment
Beware cab drivers at Dublin airport: we were charged double to go to Croke Park Hotel.
14 July 2011 4:58AM bmdennis Report this comment
The taxi one is right on. Another trick they do is ask, "Would you like me to take the fastest route?" Of course the common answer is an unfaltering yes, but what they don;t say is that the 'fastest' route is also the most expensive one :P
http://buuteeq.com/en-us/default.php?channel=bd
14 July 2011 10:41AM vasenka Report this comment
In Bangkok it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to be taken someplace directly BY TUK TUK...
You almost always are "talked into" going to a tailor, high end gem or decorating shop...on the notion that you are helping the driver's "sponsor"...
And the price of the ride...(always negotiated in advance, of course) is about 1/2 ...IF YOU GO ALONG... (A good deal? Maybe.)
I got to the point where I had my "usual" way of "doing" these "sponsored" places...a little small talk, look at the stuff...etc...
And then...finally hooking back up with the Tuk Tuk driver...and getting to where I wanted to go... Great way to see the other parts of Bangkok...I suppose.
I tend to be cooperative with the Tuk Tuk Drivers...Because I know they need the money... But this is so wide spread that it is annoying.
14 July 2011 4:28PM joolz2 Report this comment
You can avoid a lot of these if you just refuse to buy stuff that you didn't want. For a start, I haven't got enough money to buy a timeshare, so they'd be wasting their time with me.
18 July 2011 10:53AM elsiehui Report this comment
taxis can be quite nerve wrecking. Sometimes it seems like they take advantage if you go to a foreign location and don't speak their language!
Huge planned & organized crime.
25 July 2011 7:32PM cecilia Report this comment
Some other tricks & scams, often used in Nairobi and in other African cities... (luckily I was not fooled but some friends were... and many people tried these scams on me)
"I'M GOING TO YOUR COUNTRY NEXT YEAR" A polite and friendly young man comes up to you and asks your name and where you are from. Then, amazing coincidence!!... he happens to go studying in your country next year! And he would love to hear more about your country before he goes, can he please invite you for a cup of coffee? You think: okay we're still in public, no harm done. But then a bunch of his friends show up and threaten you into handing over your valuables.
25 July 2011 7:32PM cecilia Report this comment
DISTRACTION TRICKS Similar to the #8 the 'Bird shit' trick: kids or adults try to cause a distraction by: - starting a fake fight - letting drop a number of coins so that you will help pick them up - asking you a question - inviting you to a party - telling you they know a shortcut (and try to lure you into a quiet ally where they can rob you)
25 July 2011 7:32PM cecilia Report this comment
DRUGS IN DRINK A common trick even in Europe. A guy offers to buy you a drink, or locals invite you to their home for a private party (and you think wow, what a cool cultural experience). Or you simply leave your drink on the bar while you dance. Someone puts drugs in your drink, making you unaware of the fact that they rob you of your valuables, or they even take you to your hotel and rob everything from your room, and may even rape you. Always get your own drinks from the bar and never lose sight of it.
25 July 2011 7:33PM cecilia Report this comment
MONOPOLY TRICKS
On Zanzibar there is hardly any public transport to the eastern side of the island. Locals offer shuttle bus transport at a steep price. They promise that the price for the ride back a few days later will be the same. But a few days later the price is suddenly double and if you don't accept it you're stuck on that beach for another day.
25 July 2011 7:33PM cecilia Report this comment
TOURIST PRICES
In Indonesia the locals try to scam every tourist by telling them tenfold prices for the bus, minibus or becak (tuktuk). Or even if you know the real price, they try to charge you double because you have a backpack (even though the locals are bringing bags full of rice twice the size of your backpack). Always ask locals what the price should be before you get into a bus or minibus, and have small change ready. If you pay with a bigger banknote, they will try not to give you your change.
26 July 2011 5:11AM untravel Report this comment
LANGUAGE BARRIERE
Most tourists travel to foreign countries whithout taking the time to educate themselves about the culture and more importantly the basics of the language. They then become easy targets. From personal experience, I want to advice everyone to have some knowledge of the area they are visiting or be in touch with someone from the country who would help avoid all the scams.
http://twitter.com/#!/Unanchor
26 July 2011 5:12AM untravel Report this comment
typo: BARRIER
3 August 2011 2:31AM zingger Report this comment
Here is another one, and this almost happened to me in Aruba. I rented a car from a company. Not a well known one like Hertz, but some local one. Of course, they want to know which hotel I was staying at. One morning, I got up and went to the car, and noticed that the lug nuts for three of the tires were laying on the ground, and there were bricks under the car. They must have been in the process of stealing the tires, but were scared off. I started asking around. It seems it is a common scam for some local car companies to send someone out at night, steal the tires off of your rental car, then make you pay for replacements, which basically end up being the same ones that were stolen. I did find it odd that when I returned the car, the attendant looked very closely at the tires and checked on the spare in the trunk. Never have I had someone check the spare before upon return.
So, in conclusion, I will never rent from a company that isn't well known.
7 August 2011 1:52PM starzky91 Report this comment
if you fall for these then maybe you shouldn't travel it would be better for you, any person with knowledge of where their going would know what to expect.
9 August 2011 6:43PM iarabr Report this comment
I think they tried all of them on me, the worst one was in India, the ricshaw driver folowed me 7 days before he offered me the jems. it was in jaipur.
11 August 2011 7:05PM tingatanga Report this comment
This is a great article but there's a scam. They want u to buy the book
12 August 2011 9:56PM amos197 Report this comment
WARNING,PLEASE READ..... If someone comes to your front door and asks you to remove your clothes and dance with your arms in the air, DO NOT do this as it is a scam, received this yesterday, I'm feeling a little silly now!!
17 August 2011 6:40AM joti Report this comment
The worst one i came across was in San Jose, Costa Rica where a tourist would innocently give a 'beggar' some money, only to be 'arested' by a policeman who would appear from around the corner for giving money to a drug dealer. The tourist would have to bribe the cop or be taken down to the station.
20 August 2011 8:10PM dphrph Report this comment
Also beware of taxi drivers or merchants who switch out a bill with a smaller one when you aren't looking (e.g. your fare was 60 rupees, you hand them a 100 rupee note and they say you've given them a 50 rupee note). Always watch until you've received your change and announce what you are handing them when you are handing it to them!
23 August 2011 7:02PM natashat Report this comment
New York - JFK airport: Similar to other taxi scams, rude and pushy private drivers wait outside the terminal and try to usher you to their vehicle. The fee is more than twice the price of the local cabs. When we declined, they told us that we had no other option as there were no taxis in NY that would accommodate five passengers; a lie. We had asked the terminal staff the standard fare price and taxi sizes so were prepared, thank goodness.
30 August 2011 2:00PM salcidohj Report this comment
thank you
31 August 2011 1:32AM scaminfoorg Report this comment
We have to let all other tourists know about these scams. I got so frustrated that decided to set up a website aimed specifically at tourist fraud. It's www.scaminfo.org If you have been scammed and you don't want other people to suffer, forward the link to your friends, Facebook book it, Twitter it. Let as many people know about it, as possible. The aim of our website is to become the largest online resource detailing all the tourist scams around the world. The more people know about it, the less they will fall prey of these scam artists. Hopefully, once we become large and popular - airlines and tourist agencies will take note of our recommendations and mention our advice to their clients and then there is no hiding for those scam rats!
Let's help others not fall victim of the same crime we did! www.scaminfo.org - tourists beware!
20 September 2011 12:11PM 1opinion Report this comment
Nobody in India has change, because they want you to say 'keep the change' when you can't be bothered waiting around. Also two hotels I was staying at had burned down the night before (according to taxi drivers), and taxi, tuk tuk or haorse-drawn carriage drivers will NEVER give correct directions. In Kathmandu Nepal, be aware that when a local comes up to talk to you and offers to show you around they will invariably ask you for money, or to 'just buy some milk for me'; the milk then costs about 20 times what a local might pay. These are great places to visit, but the attempts to scam tourists get on the nerves after a few days of non-stop attempts.
20 September 2011 8:32PM globespots Report this comment
More travel scams on www.globespots.com
20 September 2011 10:26PM kayzeeli Report this comment
I was in Paris, next to Eifal tower.. my wife and me walking towards Eifal. A Lady wen pass us. and she just bent next to us an piked up a "Gold" ring. She politely asked me if its ours. we saind no. She said wow it looks like we found it . Offered the ring to us. We said we dont need. Then she said that her religion does not allow here to ware gold. So was insisting that we should take it. Then she said, please take it and give me 20 euros. ( could not think of religion that does not allow to posess gold but selling is OK) At the end of it, I gave her few euro coins I had (maybe 3-5 euros) just to get rid of her, and I did not want to invite another stranger that might create a bigger problem... My wife was upset that I wasted 5 euros. But I am happy that I did not get in to a bigger trouble.
21 September 2011 4:26AM lowalker147 Report this comment
In Paris I saw a gold ring. I picked it up and immediately a guy came up to me saying how he had been looking all around for this, but as a gift to me, I could keep it. So I said thank you but he started calling after me and saying that it is his. I just put it right back on the ground where I found it and walked away.
21 September 2011 5:32AM angelamparkes Report this comment
I wold echo the comment about making the effort to know the basics of the language. Apart from being polite, it's also very useful. My Arabic is very rudimentary but when taxi drivers in damascus realised I could count in Arabic they couldn't pull the trick of doubling the price between departure and destination!
21 September 2011 6:37AM jenniferspencer Report this comment
In Tunis, Tunisia, I heard "I work at your hotel" from nearly every man on the street. There are men there, usually younger men, looking for any reason to "befriend" you whether you are male or female, and get you to buy them dinner, overpriced alcohol, complete with a big kickback to the cafe. It happened to me, and I am usually more careful, but I really thought I recognized him from my hotel. So frustrating. After 2-3 days there, I realized that everyone was trying this "I work at your hotel" scam. I was just naive enough to believe it from the first guy who found me. My only consolation was the disturbed look on his face when he found out I was 40 years old.
21 September 2011 6:43AM barrymichael Report this comment
Lots of scams in some of the 'stans. Walking along the main street one early morning, a man next to me 'noticed' a wallet lying on the ground. He picked it up (I slowed down out of curiosity), and he was 'amazed' to find about $ 1000 US inside. He then told me that we had both found it and should split the money, but it was dangerous to do so on the street, and I should walk with him to a 'safe' place in a small, sheltered park. I walked away, but later met someone who told me the rest of the scam - once the money is divided, the 'owner' of the wallet arrives and accuses the tourist of stealing his wallet. To avoid the police, the tourist is demanded to pay the wallet money plus additional money to avoid the police call.
21 September 2011 7:51AM spotlightbuenosaires Report this comment
We call the Bird Shit one the "Splash and Steal" in Buenos Aires! It almost happened to me once! http://spotlightbuenosaires.com/travel-scams-dont-get-taken/
21 September 2011 4:10PM kayzeeli Report this comment
I was backpacking in France. That was about 8 years back. As any single man with good sense I made it a point to go towards the red-light district. I picked up a Japanese student that was in my youth hostel as he wanted to go there too. We went to Mulan rouge... and sadly found that we cannot afford that. So next, we were walking down the road and looking for eye-candy. All the peep shows, cabarets, etc were exiting, but was out of our reach. We were next to a place and looking at the photos, and one guy came out and gave us an offer that we could not resist. 15 Euros for both of us for a one hour show. Not only that, they will throw in vodka as well. We did not even have to consider. It was a nicely done place. Did not look like a shabby con-artist den. We were the only two visitors. But they did not mind, they started the show. Best of all, after each dance the girl would come and sit next to us for more personalized entertainment. CONTD...
21 September 2011 4:12PM kayzeeli Report this comment
CNTD... One girl asked me “can I have a drink please?” I knew this is going to be a pretty expensive drink (at least 10-15 Euros). But was not thinking properly and ordered away... so two cocktails to our new girl friends... then few more dances and the girl next to my friend asked, “Can I have a cocktail?” I was thinking, “They must be pretty thirsty”, I faintly remember my friend telling… “Yes, go ahead”. Two more cocktails to our friends appeared in no time. Funnily enough, after 30 more minutes the request for another cocktail. Now the red light really did go off. I stopped the order and asked how much is a cocktail. "My" girl was not that happy me asking prices. She asked whether I want the bill. I said no just the price list is enough... But she went and the manager came with a bill that was in funny-French-handwriting. It was t for 90 Euros. CONTD...
21 September 2011 4:13PM kayzeeli Report this comment
...CONTD I was thinking, that’s a bloody expensive drink, but considering the company we had for last 40-45 minutes this is not that bad... “But I asked him 90, Euros? You must be joking…” and the guy said, “no my friend it’s 900 Euros”. And we were pretty shocked. Obviously we did not have such money. But for some reason they thought that me and my friend could afford such. They forcibly searched my friend’s wallet for money. He did not have any. Then they searched my wallet. Took 20 or 30 Euros that was in it. Then they've seen my credit card and took it and swiped for 600 (after discount of 300 Euros). But I refused to sign the slip. Then they swiped it for 200, and I refused sign the same. But finally we paid 150 Euros. (Obviously the moment I came out I called the CC Company and cancelled the payments)
Finally we came out of the place around 90 Euros short (each), and a personalized lap dance experience - that we forgot, and a good lesson. CONTD...
21 September 2011 4:14PM kayzeeli Report this comment
...CONTD Then I found that it is a very common trick. After my confession of the incident, quite a few people said they had similar experiences. The best part is that they threaten us to send the CC TV to our homes (They had the address from our passports). I did not care. I told them to go ahead. This probably was the reason that we managed to get out so easily. But I can think a person from more conservative family would pay anything to stop such video reaching their parents. A very common trap to look for… but many people would not come out with the story for obvious reasons.
22 September 2011 5:32PM joanferrer Report this comment
Using a well-known renting company could be also tricky. We rented a car in Avis in Crete and were told that the tank was full, although the indicator was not working correctly and marks 1/2 tank, and the man said he was going to write down something (in Greek) for his colleague in the capital where we were going to return the car. We returned the car with the indicator at 1/2 tank as they gave it to us and were charged for the entire tank. Of course Avis didn't consider our formal complain.
26 September 2011 8:08PM gwendolyn Report this comment
About taxis from Bangkok Int'l Airport to hotel or vice versa : take the subway + airport train = not as comfortable, but faster + no hassles with money !
30 October 2011 9:16PM jhuitz Report this comment
Number nine, an old classic in Budapest. Young women approach you asking if you know a good place for a drink, well, they're going to one now, why not join them? It is a little too obvious but I've heard of friends of friends who were already a bit tipsy to being with and went for a bit of fun only to have to shell out some serious cash or be worked over. In the five or six years I've been going there, hasn't let up.
While I'm on it, here's one I'm surprised that didn't rank that I have seen in Moscow and in Kiev. You're walking down the road and nearly step in a pile of real USD. Someone comes of nowhere and picks it before you realize what's going on, says he found it and you should split it together. Then a goon comes out and says its his and takes it, some is missing, you must have taken it, let me see what's in your pockets and wallet. Clearly refuse and threaten to find the police and an Embassy representative, they'll scat.
2 November 2011 3:49AM economycarhire Report this comment
People often to seem to trust everyone when they are on holiday and expect that things will never go wrong, because they are on holiday. Not always the case, but as long as you have your wits about you you'll be fine and have a great time!
8 February 2012 1:29AM state49 Report this comment
these are just a few of the warnings i have given many on this forum. to be told later by the other forum experts its all in my head. looks like i was right after all.