Getting scammed is really just a part of travelling. Every experienced traveller has been scammed at least once or twice, even if it was just a taxi driver taking you the long route. The thing is that when you land in a new place, you have to rely on other people to give you the information that you need. That is an easy situation for a scammer to take advantage of and many of them try. Here are a couple of scams that you will probably come across on your travels.
Thai Gems Scam – This one is very common in Thailand. A guide or tuk-tuk driver will alert you to the fact that there are great Gem stores that you might want to check out. Another official looking accomplice who you may not realise already knows the guide or driver will then happen to bump into you and confirm their story. You get bundled into the gem shop. You get told that it’s just too easy to resell the gems at home to easily double your money. You buy gems, get home and get laughed at. Greed got the better of you. Better luck next time.
Moroccan Carpet Scam – You’ll show up in Tangier, Fes or Marrakech and somehow end up making friends with a local and a foreigner. The foreigner will tell you he’s here to buy carpets to take home for his house and maybe sell a few. You might even have dinner with these guys and they’ll invite you shopping with them. Once at the carpet store (which may or may not take a while to get to), the haggling will begin and your new foreign friend will end up paying a king’s ransom for a couple of carpets. Then, with your “friend” having paid $20,000 for a carpet, the sellers will zero in on you. You might even be able to talk them down to 100x the price it cost them to buy the carpet, but you will still be ripped off. In case you hadn’t guessed yet, your new “foreign” friend wasn’t foreign and he didn’t buy the carpet.
Photo by Constantin Philippoff
Congolese Baby Scam – You’ll make friends with a local or two who will take you to a bar to go drinking. After a while, a friend of theirs will come by and introduce himself and announce to the group that his wife has just given birth. There will be drinks and handshakes all round. Then your other friends will reach into their wallets and give the new father a wad of cash and quietly explain that it’s part of Congolese culture to do this when a friend has a child. Of course it will be indicated that you should follow their lead. Of course, all of this was planned before and you have just been scammed.
Worldwide Taxi Scam – This one happens just about everywhere in the third world and even a few places in developed countries. You will get into a cab (possibly pre-paid) after a long flight and ask to be taken to your hotel. Everything is agreed then about half way through your ride, the driver will tell you that your hotel is closed, destroyed, terrible or that he cannot remember where it is. Then he will recommend another hotel. Of course, he gets a kickback from the hotel he recommends. Best way to avoid this one is not to pay a dime until you get to your destination. If it’s prepaid at the airport, make sure you don’t give the driver the pre-paid ticket until you arrive.
The Drug Scam – This one also happens just about everywhere, but is especially prevalent in North Africa, India, South East Asia and South America. (And if you’re stupid enough to go to these places to buy drugs, then you’re probably stupid enough to fall for it). So, you’ll arrive in town looking to get high. You’ll idiotically ask the first tout you meet if they can hook you up. Of course they can! He’ll take you to his friend’s place. Of course, his friend will sell you whatever you want at an inflated price. On the way back, you will be arrested and have to bribe your way out of jail. The police then give a kickback to the seller and you’re sent on your way. In case you hadn’t realised, they are all in cahoots with each other – the tout, the dealer and the cops.
A lot of these scams are very similar to each other. It usually begins with you being befriended by a friendly local and then made to feel at ease. No pressure. Then comes the ‘suggestion’ of going to the place where the squeeze will begin. At that point you’re in a much weaker position and may not even know where you are.
The sad thing is, many people avoid even making friends in the third world when travelling for fear of being ripped off. This is a mistake. First thing is you need to relax. Feel free to make friends. Just be a little more aware of your personal security. Politely decline offers of visiting a friend’s shop. Use some common sense. If you met your new friend in a touristy area, there is a greater chance that they will turn out to be playing you than if you met them out in the middle of nowhere on some country road. Touts go where the tourists are! If you’re a lone female, remember that people will feel that it’s easier to intimidate you. By all means, go to a local’s house for dinner, but consider taking a male friend with you. At the very least, let someone know where you are.
Most importantly, relax and have a good time, be friendly, but be aware that you might be getting played and try to avoid it before it happens. For more examples of scams, Road Junkie has a cool little guide to travel scams that you should check out.
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Great post!
These are definitely some larger scams that happen when traveling. I am guessing that smaller scams like selling fake gold jewelery happen more often to the average traveler. Either way, be cautious when things seem too good to be true, they normally are.
Cheers,
Hansen