Travelling is by far the most elevating experience one can have. But there are some things that make you a traveller or rather tourist, such as huge reserve of money, vulnerability to outer world, less knowledge about your immediate surroundings, practically no local friends around the place, etc. etc. These features of a tourist also make them a potential target for scams. Yes they exist, if in case you haven’t been a victim, or you think you are too smart to be scammed. So we have created list of most common scams that you should be aware about before heading out.
- It is better not to fall in trap of women that you meet in Bars. They might be very attractive, and they also might laugh at all your jokes even poor ones. But she is there just to ensure you don’t stop drinking and end up with her being gone, leaving you with massive bills.
- Another classy act is spilling ice cream, coffee, or soft drink on your clothes which seems to be an accident. The scammer will immediately act humbly wiping the stains, and your all attention is on your linen shirt you love. Meanwhile your wallet is pickpocketed. Bingo!
- Group of people will befriend you, treat you to the local cuisines, show you around, crack jokes with you, and will eventually tell you that their cousin has a jewellery shop where you might items super cheap which you can sell back in your country. It’s all fake guys.
- Few people will face you in open, and will talk you into drugs, booze, or anything illegal. This will be followed by encroaching fake policemen. They will assert on at the spot fine, and will scare you. You have to take them back to hotel, if they refuse, walk away.
- Tourists that shop for expensive items in tourist markets, often later find that the item they have purchased is not in the bag but some cheap stuff. The item is switched while handling of bags. It is must do to check your bags after purchasing, before leaving the shop.
- Wait let me check, few moments later – that hotel is full. This is what you get when you trust a cab driver to take you to a particular hotel. They could get more creative like, that hotel is closed, it’s getting renovated. Then they take you to their commission based hotels.
- Many Taxi drivers will take you on a long drive. You don’t know the city, and don’t know what roads will lead you to your destination. Taxi will keep running with meter, and you will reach with exponential costs. To tackle make use of Google maps every time you ride.
- When going to visit any attraction, you will be responded by taxi drivers that it is closed today, but our city has lot much other to offer. If you fall for it, you will end up in low class yet expensive restaurants, some souvenir shops, and a scene dozens of miles away from city.
- If you are a watching a street magic show, beware because you could be a part of that magic. I mean all the time when you are focused on the show, their accomplices will pickpocket you, and time of tipping them you will be left awestruck.
- Travelling from airport back to hotel, or travelling to some other place in city or nearby city. Please don’t leave everything to taxi drivers and porters. The driver might sneak a bag or two while taking out luggage and porter will be unable to know what all you’re with.
- Paying bills at counter can give you real pains afterward. That counter boy who is accepting your credit card from one hand and talking on phone from the other, might be taking pictures of your credit card to replicate it later. Be very careful at such instances.
- You are sleeping tight in your room and it’s almost midnight. You will receive a call from Hotel front desk, asking you about your credit card details because of some issue with payment. Beware people it’s a fake call, and don’t fall for it.
- The golden ring is another popular scam, where the scammer will wait for you to pass by you and pick up a ring which is his, and approach you with it claiming he has found your ring. By the time you think, the scammer will ask for money to buy a lunch etc.
- We are all potentially humanitarian, and these scammers will show no mercy to your empathy. You will be approached by people working to collect charity for Syrian refugees, or African children, or money for homeless people shelter. Do not fall for fake ones.
- Kind of morning you will want the last one to happen is one, where an early morning jogger will bump into you and probably knock you down to ground too, then will apologize for the accident, after few moments of chat will continue running but with your wallet.
- Trust while travelling could also lead you to losses. You are eating at a restaurant and ask for bill, you slide in few dollar bills and the waiter comes back saying they are fake ones, give another. While what happened was that your real bills got replaced by him.
- Card skimming is another scam that is on prowl these days. It could just not a device installed in local ATM, but the shopkeeper who would want to swipe your card away from you, might copy the info needed. Don’t let your card go out of sight, ever.
- You are enjoying your day at the hotel and suddenly there is a knock. You see two men dressed as hotel staff asking to step aside for room inspection. One will chat with you, while the other will grab anything valuable he gets hands on. Beware of such a case.
You are never too smart to be inert for scams! So be careful
