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59 Comments
- digggrumps, on 02/12/2008, -2/+28Don't forget about the wallet-inspector.
- crypulse, on 02/12/2008, -0/+25Well, apparently your's hasn't been inspected yet. Please hand over your wallet so I may do so. Thank you for your cooperation.
- jdpalite, on 02/12/2008, -0/+25The best piece of advice is don't look like a dumb tourist who can't take care of yourself.
Scammers pick and choose their targets - don't present yourself as a good choice. - protodon, on 02/12/2008, -0/+15I'm no dummy and I'm pretty well-traveled but once upon a time I was coming off a metro train in prague. I was definitely looking like a tourist because I had a huge backpack as well as a duffel bag. These "policemen" stopped me to check my ticket. I believe the ticket was only good for a half hour but I had been getting lost for 1 and a half hours. They ordered me to pay a fine because of the time limit and that the ticket didn't cover my many bags. Seriously, it was a subway train! So I told them no and they said that they will take me to the police station AND charge me double the fine. The fine was abut 8 US dollars. I paid because I didn't want to go anywhere with these strangers. This all happened about mid-afternoon and they all had badges but no uniforms. I'm bitter about it to this day and I still can't figure out if they were real police or not.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -3/+18Right. Then I'll need a big ass backpack, Hawaiian shirt, shorts sunnies and hat just like the locals wear. I'll keep my camera with me at all times so I can really take in the scenery and carry lots of change, in a loose pocket ready to haggle me a good deal.
America here I come! - halohunter, on 02/12/2008, -0/+14One more which I and my friend on two seperate occasions fell prey for:
THE FAKE MONK SCAM
In countries such as China, Thailand and Malaysia, you may be confronted by a pair of people who clearly look like monks. They will stop you, immediately give you a good luck charm and ask you to pray for peace. All good I suppose but then they ask you to pay a sizeable amount of money (about $50USD) for the good luck charm and as you attempt to explain that you dont want to give such a huge donation they will pretend not to understand and keep gently cutting you off from escape. More then enough the scammed person will give them the large amount of money due to him/her not wanting to offend the monk and due to unfamiliarity with foreign currency. These fake monks prey on a persons good will towards Buddist monks and works particually well with Australians who value them highly.
Funnily enough, in most cases if you translate the nice chinese writing on the good luck charm it roughly says: "Stupid foreigner" - stagolee, on 02/12/2008, -1/+14"THE PRETEND POLICEMEN
It’s a classic scam, because it works. The well-spoken young backpacker who told me this cautionary tale has, perhaps wisely, opted for anonymity: “I was hanging out in Cuzco, Peru, when I met a local guy, and we became friends. He showed me some of the ruins, we had a few beers, then, one night, he said, ‘You are my friend, you are kind to me. I want to give you a present.’ And he gives me a fistful of marijuana.
About an hour later, I was walking back to my hostel. Two men were waiting outside the front gate. They told me they were policemen and asked me to empty my pockets. When they found the dope, they told me I’d spend four years in prison for dealing drugs... unless I paid them $200 to forget everything. Panicking in a dark street, I paid up there and then – and never saw my ‘friend’ again.”
Steering clear: don’t do drugs. In general terms, if you get yourself into a similarly sticky situation, remember that your safety is the priority. Try calmly to make the issue public, getting other people involved, preferably the real police – although if you’ve got a pocketful of hash, that’s going to be tricky. If you’re alone, consider coughing up. "
This scam happens in many parts of the world from what I've heard, but it will generally be the real police not the "pretend police" and you will be lucky to only get hit for $200. - tritiumpie, on 02/12/2008, -0/+12#14 - Time share presentations. Supposedly these "only take an hour and a half" and you get all kinds of freebies if you just sit through it, but instead they all but trap you for 4+ hours and harass you through a multi-step process of "No thank you. Not interested. No. No thank you. Why? Well..." Once, in Sedona, AZ the guy working at the visitors bureau straight up LIED to us and said we'd get a free night at the Hyatt if we went to this timeshare. (No doubt, he got a kickback.) So we did the timeshare, and they never offered a free night. When I confronted the guy afterwards, he completely denied it. To this day, I wish I had knocked his teeth out.
- akatherder, on 02/12/2008, -0/+9The tough thing is that in some countries, the policemen are just as corrupt as the thieves. So you can say "***** you, you aren't even a cop" and suddenly they whip out their guns and badges and ream you in the ass back at the station.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -1/+8Sure scoff and call these chumps err well chumps. But if your abroad for a month to a year, there will be literally thousands of opportunities for some dirty ninja to have a go at you. Most will be skilled and well practiced. Me at traveling? Not so much.
Thank you for the very good advice that I shall print and save for when I do travel. - piesforyou, on 02/12/2008, -0/+6so maybe you will too, when you are old.
- mswope, on 02/12/2008, -0/+5I've had someone try this on me in the states. He was all friendly and a "good time" kinda guy, playing pool, talking too loud. When i was leaving the bar with my girlfriend, he said, "here's something to enjoy later" and shoved a joint in my front pocket of my jeans. I pulled it out and dropped it on the ground and he got mad. I told him not to put his hand in my jeans (which drew some laughter and attention). When i went outside, there were 3 cops there - two were arresting individuals for something.
The thing was that he was obviously not "a regular" at the bar, and the people he entrapped were not regulars either (and were very drunk). - akatherder, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4I could see falling for the scam where some lady calls you up in the middle of the night at a hotel and asks for your credit card #.
If you think about it for a second, it makes no sense. They already pre-authorized your card when you checked in and they shouldn't bill you until you check out. But if someone woke you up at 2 am and you weren't thinking clearly, I could see 1 out of 10 or even 1 out of 100 people just reading their card number off. - siwasher, on 02/12/2008, -0/+4A guy gets a call offering him a sea cruise for only $100. "Just come down to dock #7 at midnight", the caller says, "and bring your fare in cash." So the guy takes his money down to the dock at midnight, but can't see anybody. Then he feels a blow on the head, and the lights go out. When he wakes up, it's getting light, and he's floating in the ocean in an innertube. As a wave lifts him to its crest, he spies another guy floating in an innertube some distance away. "HEY", he yells, "DO THEY SERVE LUNCH ON THIS CRUISE?" The other guy yells back "THEY DIDN'T LAST YEAR!."
- SebHughes, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3When I went on holiday to Rome I was walking down the street with my sister, a man approached us and handed her a rose, went to my mum and tried to demand money for it as we did not ask for it, etc. We basically told him to ***** off. This is another scam these people try to get you with. Watch out.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3Also be on the look out for fakes. Once item that is faked so much in the Carribean are Cuban Cigars. I got taken on a box of Cigars (COHIBA), that looked legit in a box.
I wish I had read this first BEFORE going and buying a box.
http://www.cigarnexus.com/counsel/counterfeit/
- kazolar, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3First, there might be less strict credit card laws in the UK, but if you are charged an unauthorized amount on a credit card you provided, the credit card company is obligated to refund it and resolve the problem. Also, in #1, I would create a one time use credit card # online, I know discover and chase give you an option to do that for online purchases, and they give you a lot of protection so that as soon as you see a charge there, you kick it back, simple as that. Its all about being careful.
- dagnabbit, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3Those guys are everywhere in Rome. They literally stuffed a rose into my wife's crossed arms as we tried to walk past. We just set it on the ground and kept walking.
- inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3It is not just an American thing as far as I understand, but this is how it works.
Rather than buying a house on the beach in the carribean, you can buy 1 week a year of the house in the carribean. Thus your cost is about 1/52 the price for a beachfront house (apartment/hotel room whatever). You pay a maintenance fee to keep it up, and you can sell your timeshare, lease out your week during the year if you cant make it. You can also swap your week for a week somewhere else if you like. That is the basics. - Orion682, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3Don't forget to be wary during parades and demonstrations. I was watching the changing of the guard once in, I believe it was Copenhagen, Denmark, when some guy tried to sidle up to me from behind. At first it seemed like he was just pushing forward to get a better view of the parade, but at some point he got so close that he was practically standing on the heels of my boots, and the crowd wasn't anywhere nearly that close.
At that point I realized why: I never keep money or anything of value in my back pocket, but I'd picked up some sort of green colored flyer earlier and stuffed it in my back pocket. Apparently the edge was sticking up and it looked kinda like money. So I turned around, looked at him, and told him that if he got any closer I was going to break his ribs, at which point he promptly feigned ignorance, said he didn't speak English, and ran off.
Worst pickpocket ever. The gypsies in Eastern europe and the kids in South America could teach him a thing or two. When they try to rob you, you'll be lucky to notice if you're not being very very attentive and suspicious. - voetsjoeba, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3True, but what kind of hotel would call you at 2AM to ask for your credit card info? I'd probably call them names and hang up.
- saralk, on 02/12/2008, -0/+3They could've been real ticket inspectors, on the Prague public transport system, you validate your ticket and then you don't need to go through any barriars while your on the public transport, periodically, ticket inspectors will come and check your tickets.
They should have shown you their badge (IIRC, it's a circular badge that looks a bit like the swiss flag). Although, you can buy those badges from markets so it might've been a fake guy. - sweetaskiwi, on 02/13/2008, -0/+2Dugg for the comments under the article. I haven't heard of half of those.
- Edwaldo, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2That is quite a compilation. The marijuana one would suck.
- diggstown, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2@chrispix: You're basically right about the model, but you're way off on the price. With all of the advertising fees on top of fees, the cost is far worse than 1/52. It may be closer to 1/5 or 1/10 for a 1 week stay than 1/52.
- Spraypaint, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2The United States version of this would be: Mexicans washing your windshield when you do not ask for it, then when they are done, they'll ask for money.
- Spraypaint, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2This is kind of unrelated, but my family from Hong Kong once sent a package through boat (grandmother thought it would save on shipping). But then, they managed to exchange all of the contents with worthless junk which weighed exactly as the original contents would.
- GuruCesc, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2I once receive the "hit 9" call from someone telling me that I had "won" a $2500 cruise, I only had to pay $600 for the taxes... :) it was fun... It took them about 40 minutes to realize I was just wasting their time (and mine... I had no better thing to do!!! jejeje)... I guess I was their "customer" of the day!! :)
- cyssero, on 04/18/2009, -0/+2Wow, what a deal! Where do I sign up?
- mswope, on 02/12/2008, -0/+2Down in Brazil, one of the scams is for someone to squirt your back and shoulder with mustard and mayonnaise from foil packets. It looks like bird crap. Then, two people try to be "helpful" and wipe it off for you, laughing with you about your bad luck while they pick your pockets. If you figure it out, you can try to stop them, but you cannot hit anyone, because you'll be arrested for assault...
- spyrochaete, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1I agree with this. I'm not an experienced traveller but I learned much during my honeymoon in Amsterdam last year. As far as I could tell there were 2 types of tourists there - well-to-do middle age tourists and twentysomething penniless hippie tourists. My wife and I fit the latter description. No hassles whatsoever during our 10-day stay, yet we shopped and toured like every other tourist.
Wear crappy clothing and tattered shoes. Look penniless but keep your wallet in your front pocket just in case. - inactive, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Well, yeah I am off :) I was just trying to break it down easy. Although, if you look at it from the basis of a 99 year lease/purchase. It does not come out too bad. But you are right.. Digging you up for good information.
- Porq, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Good basic advice to heed to, its surprising how many people do get scammed, hope this helps :)
- diggstown, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1Amazing to imagine how people would fall for some of those scams, but there is a lot of excellent advice in that article as well.
- Skurt, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1While changing planes from Beijing to Shenyang in China I was approached by a young lady who offered me 'help' She had a nice uniform and name badge but something about her screamed setup.
She took me to the boarding pass line and had me wait while she got me a boarding pass. When she asked for my passport I hesitated for a moment, but figured, she had the badge, the uniform I gave her my passport reluctantly and watched very carefully. After a bit she walked back to me and asked me to come to the counter and get my boarding pass/passport.
Then all of a sudden her and her girlfriend wanted money for her service. !! what? I could see it coming a mile away
I gave her $5 USD and she scoffed. I helped you get your boarding pass, it must be more! of course her friend who only showed up wanted a cut as well. I didn't want a scene so I gave the leader $10 USD - still not enough Wanted more, more more.
I finally gave the leader $15 and told her I could have done the same thing, except I would have had to stand in line for no more than 30 min and my layover was 2 hours so I had nothing to do anyway, our transaction is done!
she was miffed but left as I think she was more concerned about airport security than I was. - mova, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1***** idiots nor grandmas fall for some of these tricks. They are sneaky, and deceptive. I have not fallen for one, but I know a lot of people that have. It's good to be aware of them.
- imtitoxxx, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1The Shoe shiners of Istanbul are pure marketing genius! No wonder why they are all over the world, selling whatever they feel like it...
- purag66, on 05/13/2009, -0/+1Not to be racist or anything, but I think white people are the most common targets because they scream "tourists." Having a brown shade and you're usually not spotted as a tourist until the locals get face-to-face with you, but that's an inefficient method of picking targets.
- spawnfree, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1i have really enjoyed your comment, perhaps we can swap addresses and phone numbers so we can meet up some time.
- Jonjonr6, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1And remember... Badges?! We don't need no stinking badges!
- PRlME, on 02/12/2008, -0/+1I would like th add timeShares dont buy them!
- chadian22, on 02/13/2008, -0/+1My Friend recently got involved in the card mill one. If you live in Canada, watch out for one called 'Pro Travel Network', although it follows the textbook case, so I guess just be smart.
Also if you want to see a funny promotional, but very unprofessional, video ran by this PTN company go to this youtube link > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg_GB1TIz10 . - daschupa, on 02/12/2008, -0/+0...I need to make a phone call...
- saralk, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Once I was in a club (not abroad, but in my home town) and I was fairly drunk. I dropped a £10 and some coins, as I was going to pick it up, some guy helped me, and picked up all the coins and note and passed it to me, but i noticed that he pocketed the £10 note, so I asked him to give it back, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a note. Then walked away, I looked at the note, and it was only a £5 note
- lukeduke, on 02/12/2008, -2/+2How about, I know where there are girls who love American guys...can't get enough of them. Go over the border into a ***** country and go up to the abandoned warehouse. Don't worry about the powersaws and screaming, it's a wild party.
- taketheleap, on 02/12/2008, -2/+2This is just Natural Selection: honestly, if you WILLINGLY give out your credit card info or any of the other "scams" on this list, you're MEANT to lose. You play with fire, you get burnt.
- Lastgreatwar, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Totally just kidding. I just think of Scam and that's what popped out.
I work in the travel industry, and the biggest thing I can tell you is that if someone offers you a round trip to ANYWHERE and it sounds like the deal is 'too good to be true'....it is. Do not be so ready to give your credit card info. - inactive, on 02/12/2008, -1/+1Dugg for Hostel reference. Quite apt in this thread. American guys and girls tend to be very trusting travellers I find, and often travel alone. I meet them all the time on the French Riviera. I'm often surprised that an American girl will quite happily stumble into my place at 3am for a drink without even letting her friends know where she is going. Happily absolutely none of them appear to have had any really bad experiences, beyond an occasional bag snatching, and most have filled their Facebook with new friends all over the world. Confirms that most people are generally pretty nice. Mitigate your risks but don't get paranoid!
Phillip - Skier4Life, on 02/12/2008, -0/+0A few more I've encountered...
BIRD FEEDING SCAM
While in Bangkok I was walking to the Grand Palace and there were a lot of pigeons in the park. There were locals selling birdfeed. Having no interest in feeding winged vermin I just walked by ignoring the sellers. However, one girl jumped in front of me and tried to sell me the feed. I declined and tried to walk around her. She stepped in front of me and grabbed my hand and dumped a bag of feed in it. I told her I didn't want the feed, dropped what was in my hand on the ground and tried to walk on. She felt that she was entitled to being paid for the feed I dropped on the ground, which the pigeons were now enjoying. I laughed and told her I already said no, she dumped the feed into my hand and I wasn't paying. She called her boyfriend over to straighten things out. I guess she thought he would intimidate me but it was the middle of the day and I was a foot taller then him. He took one look at me and told the girl to just let me go. She wasn't very happy.
BORDER CROSSING SCAMS
I did the overland route from Thailand to Cambodia. At the border the guide told the bus that there were no banks in the Siem Reap and that we would need to exchange our money at the border for local currency. This is a lie, everywhere in Siem Reap takes american cash and they actually prefer it. There is a bank that dispenses american cash. And the rate of exchange they give you at the border is terrible. Make sure you always know the actual exchange rate before exchanging money to ensure you are not being ripped off.
At the border to Vietnam there are a group of guys who charge you a dollar for filling out your forms. The forms are easy, you don't need someone to do it for you. However, it is a hassle to convince them to let you fill out your own form. In the end, it is only a dollar but by this point I had been traveling for 3 months and was tired of scams. Also, a dollar was how much I was paying a night to stay in Cambodia. I wasn't about to spend a nights accommodations so some guy could put my name on a form.
SUIT SCAMS
Everywhere in South East Asia there are tailors who try to sell you custom tailored suits. If you want a custom tailored suit for cheap then shop around and find a good deal. However, be very careful. Every shop is trying to scam you and get as much money as possible. They will present cheaper fabrics to you as the best and try to charge a premium for such "high quality" fabric. The price of the suit is not the only cost. They will charge you extra for shipping, extra for insurance, etc. If you're ever walking to the Grand Palace in bangkok and someone tells you that they are closed for a special ceremony they are lying. They will then tell you there are a bunch of temples "you must see" and that you also need to check out Voglee. Voglee is a tailor shop and they will tell you that they are having a special sale weekend. That they usually are only allowed to sell to locals since they make Armani suits but for that day only they are allowing foreigners to buy Armani suits at local rates. This is a lie. They will make a list of these places and offer to get you a Tuk-Tuk at a great rate. They will get you a Tuk-Tuk for an amazing rate. While on your tour the Tuk Tuk driver will need to go to the bathroom. At this point a guy will come talk to you who is a local and he'll tell you he is a lawyer from New York visiting his brother who is a monk. After a short talk he will mention that you should check out Voglee and tell you about the special deal. He'll say that he gets all his suits from there. He is also lying to you. Finally you will go to Voglee and they will try to sell you an overpriced suit. The suit is fine, but you can get equivalent quality for cheaper from other tailors. All the people you met that day work for Voglee and get a cut if you buy a suit. - valharick, on 02/12/2008, -2/+1"There’s a more minor, but also more irritating, way you can be diddled when you hand over your card overseas."
Dug for using diddled. -
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