Getting scammed is a horrible feeling, not only because of the often financial loss but also because it makes people feel violated and embarassed. To help you stay safe and keep your money I wanted to create a list of 6 Travel Scams to Avoid.
There’s no reason to feel embarrased as anyone can get scammed at any time, even the most seasoned and experienced travelers. Nobody is 100% immune to these people and their criminal activities.
Before I share the list, here are some of my experiences.
I’ve been scammed while traveling and I consider myself to be pretty street-smart. I grew up in London, UK which is one of the most visited cities in the world, we have an abundance of people around the tourist, and non-tourist areas trying to scam people. Just like any other major city. But I’ve still been caught!
Both occaisions (that I’m aware of), I was kind of aware of the situation but chose the easy route out and just paid. One was any easy walk out, another could have led to something else so we decided to pay up. Both countries it was cheap, so wasn’t too big of a deal to pay and walk away.
Once in Havana, Cuba. We were trying to buy fruits and vegetables and were clearly being massively overcharged. This is how it went down…
A guy on the street started speaking to us and being friendly (always a sign), we actually asked him where we could buy supplies and he walked us to a store. Now, we know not to trust people on the street but Havana is sparse for food stores where we were so decided to go and check out the store.
When we got there, there were essentially charging us Wholefoods NYC prices in a country where it should have cost a few dollars. We bartered somewhat but decided just to pay becuase we were hungry and wanted to go and eat.
I don’t feel we were scammed as we knew what was going on and could afford it, but it’s still a scam from their perspective so it’s something I should share with you so you’re aware of people’s tactics.
The second time was in Guadalajara, Mexico. A friend and I went to a steakhouse and after a while we noticed escorts at tables with guys. At first it seemed they were the restaurant servers but then we realized there were just too many of them.
We were eating and some joined us, we were clear we wern’t interested in their services but eventually it became clear the wanted us to pay for some game in the restaurant. It was so cheap that we just paid, finished up and left to avoid any issues from the three guys at the door. To be fair, we did actually enjoy the night of live music and amazing food, so again, I don’t feel too scammed, but it was a scam nonetheless.
There you have it, even seasoned travelers get caught so to make sure you avoid it, here are 6 Travel Scams to Avoid
1. Overcharging Taxi’s
This is a very common scam that happens all over the world from poorer countries to the wealthiest.
The most common way they overcharge is by taking longer routes than necesary or telling you the meter is broken. When possible, research how much it should cost before you travel and agree the fee before the ride starts. If you’re concerned about them taking longer routes than necesary, I recommend mapping your route before hand. Apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps give you the shortest route, show the driver before you start the ride the route you expect to take.
2. Freebies
In many tourist heavy places around the world you’ll find people walking up to you and offering to put bracelets on your wrist, hats on your head, or maybe even give you flowers. What they do is create a fuss when you don’t want to make a purchase and cause a scene that often embarasses people into paying to keep quite.
You can avoid this by being firm and fair, and politely rejecting the original offer.
3. Spilliages on your clothes
This scam is hard to avoid as it happens so fast and unexpected. You’re minding your own business and someone spills something on you, they seem like a genuine person who is frantically trying to make up for their embarrasing mistake but in reality its a distraction while they pickpocket you.
If you have someone spill something on you, politely insist that you take care of it yourself.
4. Flirty Females
Similar to the story I told you in Guadalajara. When traveling, if an (often young) pretty woman approaches you out of the blue, flirts, and it feels to good to be true, it probably is!
A common scam in bars, restaurants and nightclubs in many places aorund the world is having a young woman or group of women seduce traveling men into ordering them drinks. When the bill arrives you’ll find that it’s 10 times what you were expecting, and when you refuse to pay you get a visit from the not so frinedly door staff who intimidate you until you pay and leave.
I’ve heard many stories like this in Eastern Europe. Now that I think about it, it reminds me of a time in Krakow, Poland where this was happening. We refused to buy them drinks from the start, finished our drink and promptly left.
5. Drug Scams
In developing countries where you can come across corrupt law enforcement, you’ll find people approach you sell you drugs.
The person seems like a party-goer so you purchase the drugs, the next thing you know you have a law enforment officer grabbing you and finding the drugs. You’re then faced with paying a bribe or going to Jail in a foreign country.
How to avoid this? Don’t buy drugs!
6. Wrong Change
This happens all over the world, in my country, and in your country. However, it’s a little more rife in developing countries with tourists. People know that tourists may not be so sharp on the currency and are a little more relaxed and paying less attention so they take the chance.
It’s simple, they give you the wrong change when you make a purchase. This happens in stores, taxi’s, and hotels. Anywhere where you’re making a purchase. Know what you should be getting back before you hand over your money, and avoid using large currency.
I hope the information here helps you when traveling. There are many more scams out there and current scams evolve into new ones, so always stay vigilent, be wary of strangers and strange behaviours, but don’t let it stop you from interacting with people.
Always trust your gut, if something doesn’t feel right, just walk away, or like I’ve done in the past, if it’s so cheap that you can afford to avoid a potential bad situation, pay up, get out, and learn from the lesson.
Have you had any scam experiences while traveling? Let me know!
David – for the Outlook Global Project
Disclosure: some of the links on this website are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. You are more than welcome to go direct to the sites linked without using our affiliate link. However, if you do go through our links you’ll be helping to support this website so that we can continue bringing you content. Thank you in advance 🙂
