Fake Officials
When traveling you’d think that you should be able to trust the police or security. But often on trains and in the street you will come across fake officials who ask to see your documents. To get them back, they ask for a bribe. Don’t hand over your documents if you feel that something is fishy. Instead, ask them to take you to the police station where you will be happy to show your documents.
Accidental Bump
Victims of this method are often swarmed by several people who are pushing them, and at the same time, pick their pocket. Another trick is to grab the purse of someone near the door and get off the metro just as the doors are closing. The best way to avoid these travel scams is to spread out all your valuables and not keep the cards and/or your passport in one place. Second, never put a wallet or anything of value in either your front or back jean pocket.
Less Priced Transportation
If your tuk tuk or taxi asks for surprisingly fares to your destination, beware, you can end up spending an entire day at gem dealers, carpet shops and commission based emporiums. The way to avoid this travel scam is to know the approximate amount of your cab fare before getting in the taxi. And if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Cocktails with Girls
In this kind of scam, a couple of girls would invite you to have a drink— something most guys would probably get excited about and love to take part in. The girls then take you to a bar where you are charged 10 to 20 times the normal cost of a drink! The girls definitely get a kickback from the bartenders in this so best way to avoid getting into this scam is to not drink at bars with strangers.
Pay for Free Attractions
Common in Indonesia, for a major tourist attraction that’s either free or open to the public at very low cost, local men will set up a fake stand with fake printed tickets across the street, hoping to lure those who want to get in. Tourists will pay varying amounts for the fake ticket, only to get inside and realize that there’s nobody there to verify it.
Card Games in Paris
One of the most common sights on the streets of Paris is that you’ll see people playing a card game or hiding a ball in a cup and someone guessing where it is and winning money. When you decide to play and win once, you bet more money but you lose…and lose again and again. It’s one of the most common travel scams on the streets of Paris.
