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Travel Advice And Travel Safety. Stay informed on the road.

Travel Scams 101

WORLDWIDE | Monday, 25 August 2008 | Views [5193] | Comments [5]

You're sure to meet friendly locals and enjoy warm hospitality on the road – that's the spice of travelling life. However, as at home, not everyone is as genuine as they seem. There are many slick operators out there, not to mention the outright criminals.

Sensible Sanchez highlights some of the more common traps for young players here in Travel Scams 101...

Drink Spiking

If someone buys you a drink, watch them get it from the bar and deliver it to you, or better yet, go to the bar with them. It’s not unknown for travellers to be drugged unwittingly and end up lost and alone with all their gear gone.

Pickpockets

Petty thievery is more common than you might think, and if you look like an obvious tourist, you may as well have a target on your forehead. Keep your wallet or purse with you at all times, and distribute your money and cards around your body. It’s a good idea for men not to keep their wallet in the usual back pants pocket, as that is another easy target.

Check the seals of your drinking water

If you have purchased bottled water, check that there is a proper seal or that the packaging is intact. Some places have been known to sell recycled bottles that have merely been filled up with tap water.

Beware of the black market

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. You might be buying souvenirs that are not authentic, and with electronics, DVDs, high fashion or other consumer goods, they may be bootlegged, knock-off or stolen goods.

Carry your own gear

Never agree to carry anything back home for anybody. You don't know what you could be carrying with you – like drugs or other prohibited or dangerous material. Be wary of accepting 'gifts' that may contain contraband substances, and don’t cross borders or go through Customs with strangers.

You get what you pay for

Always travel with a reputable tour company so you know that you'll get what you pay for and your safety will be of primary concern. Travelling with a dodgy operator could see you stranded, injured, sick, or at the very least you may end up visiting or dining at establishments run by the tour guide's equally dodgy family members.

Pushy Recommendations

Don't take the advice of overly-friendly taxi drivers or local hawkers. If they can encourage you to part with your money, there's often a financial kick-back from their friends at the hotels, shops and ticket offices. If you're just looking for a cheap bed in a hostel for a night this might be ok ... but if you're coughing up thousands to buy precious gems in Bangkok, beware!

What's your best travel scam story?

There are endless ways in which con artists will try and get you to part with your cash or belongings - and new scams come along all the time. Leave us a comment about what happened to you...

And finally, whilst we offer tips for your safety, please be aware that you need to make decisions based on your own circumstances and the local laws and customs of the countries you will visit.

How to hold onto your money - we look at common travel scams.

Tags: on the road, sensible sanchez, tips, scams, pickpockets, beggars, drugs, drink spiking, black market, dodgy

Comments

1

Beware of the smooth character who engages in too familiar conversation, guiding you to the nearest cafe where they buy you tea/coffe/drink. Leaving some time later with well meaning handshakes or hugs.
Shortly after you will be approached by two or more slick characters in sun glasses claiming to be undercover cops investigating known drug offenders. your destination the local slammer, which you of course never reach because you are invited to part with a nice slice of bread to save the embarrasment.

boba Sep 1, 2008 4:54 AM

2

I think if you have a decent virus program it should
help you a great deal

Colin R. Houlihan May 4, 2009 5:41 AM

3

On a trip to Italy with my father a few years ago, we were walking around the old forum in Rome when a very nice driver pulled up beside us and asked for directions to the airport. Of course, being tourists, we didn't know, although my dad made a very nice attempt to guess which way the airport was. As a token of his appreciation, the driver then produced two "authentic" leather jackets to give to us and asked us to make a small offer. Although I clearly knew it was a scam, my naive father gave in and gave the man 20 euros... Pretty dumb scam overall but I give the guy props for originality!

Amy Jul 23, 2009 11:58 AM

4

Probably it is old news, and most probably the same scam can be observed in many other cities in Europe. This Easter during quite a pleasant walk on gravel pathways along the Seine in Paris we saw gypsie women miraculously finding thick 'gold' rings. It looked like each operate on the same patch at some distance from the others, but still way too obvious.
We did not experiment what the scam was about in detail - either they pick your pockets while you try to explain them that you have not lost anything or maybe they simply try to sell the junk for some 10 or 20 EUR to the occasional not so smart, but greedy person. We just signalled clearly to the ones who tried not even to come near with their 'finding' so we were fine. It is probably impossible to stop this kind of activity as such by legal means in a democracy so the best you can do is to steer clear from these colourful ladies. Definitely do not try to play the good Samaritan and engage in assisting them, they will get you in one way or other.

Paris daytripper Sep 22, 2009 6:42 PM

5

I was in Ho Chi Minh city and a nice man approached me and was asking where I was from and I told him Canada. He then proceeded to tell me that his sister was a nurse and that she was planning to move to Canada and he invited me to meet his sister at their place. The taxi comes, and his "sister" gets in...an absolute stunner I might add. I eat dinner and then get invited to play a game of cards, but just for fun, no money involved. The guy proceeds to tell me that he is a dealer in a casino and that he has a system to beat the house at the casino he works at but none of his family members can enter the casino and it is up to me. My BS alarm was going off... the thought of ripping off a casino and getting caught in Vietnam and going to jail for a long time didn't appeal to me. Then the guyu mentions that a sucker acquaintance of his is coming over and we start having a game of cards. He even fronts me $100 saying it isn't mine to worry about. At this point my BS alarm is at full alert. I figured out that it wasn't the card game that I would be playing at the casino that was the scam, it was the game tonight. I quickly realize this and try to figure out a way to get out. My new "friend" who was the "sister" was almost with her hands down my pants at this point. In a moment of sheer brilliance I put my horniness aside and realized that the whole thing was a scam. I stepped out and hailed a taxi and was out of there...at the same time I was kicking myself for letting this hot sister go. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had been had. But they didn't get any money out of me so it is all good. I scammed the scammers out of the meal and got a taxi ride around Saigon to boot.

Mark Nov 20, 2009 12:53 AM