How the scam works: If you travel to India or any other South Asian country, you need to stay hydrated due to the hot climate. Let's say that while you're walking around town, you get thristy and want to buy a bottle of cola from the street vendors, called “dhabas”. The drink will be bottled […]

Indian Cola Surrogate Read More

How the scam works: You are eager to see the Great Wall and your flight has landed safely in China. As you come out of the airport, a sea of buses fills the scenery. You don’t see many things written in English and you don’t speak Mandarin. Being extremely tired after the flight and carrying […]

Bus Helpers in China Read More

How the scam works: The first thing that you need to do when you are ready to travel by bus in Thailand is to purchase padlocks for your suitcases. Don’t be fooled by the good-looking buses (sometimes even double-deckers) they use to transport travelers across the country. More than in any other country, it's reported that […]

Bus Rides in Thailand Read More

How the scam works: This is a scam which mostly occurs in developing countries, where the local buses and trams use a hole-punch system for passengers to validate their tickets. Especially if you are taking the bus or tram from the airport (or the main train station) to downtown, a lot of ticket controllers use […]

Bus Ticket Controllers Read More

How the scam works: The most reputable line of transport in Vietnam is Sinh Tourist. Since many tourists travel between Ho Chi Minh City and the capital Hanoi, there are hundreds of scammers (individuals, corner shops) who call themselves Sinh Tourist representatives. They charge three times as much for a ticket and are really hard […]

Bus Tickets in Vietnam Read More

How the scam works: This scam could certainly happen anywhere in the world.  As you are admiring the shops along the most popular streets in town, a well-dressed person posing as another tourist comes to you and asks for help.  She will inform you about a great deal at the store next door – a Gucci jacket […]

Buy This for Me, Please Read More

How the scam works: If you are visiting countries such as Turkey, Egypt, or India, you might come across unique experiences of being taken for a ride on a camel, horse-drawn carriage, or in a rickshaw – which are all awesome adventures! Let’s say you are in Turkey and really want to take that 15-minute camel […]

Camel/Rickshaw Rides Read More

Cancelled Flight Compensation Scam: How It Works If you happen to be a tourist traveling during or right after a disaster (coronavirus crisis, tsunami, hurricane, earthquake, or even a terrorist attack) you might face the unfortunate experience of having all possible flights cancelled. It is the case again this week, as the heartbreaking COVID-19 pandemic […]

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Hotel Discount Scam: How It Works This could happen anywhere, so beware. While traveling, someone you just met has a great recommendation for a hotel. "I stayed there last week – it's amazing. Take this card, they told me I will have a discount whenever I go back there. Unfortunately I won't be able to, […]

Hotel Discount Card Read More

How the scam works: Countries like Egypt, Morocco, or Turkey have very aggressive vendors when it comes to their carpets. These are not really scams but tricks they use to get you into their shops to buy their merchandise. The most common scenarios are the “write a postcard for me in English” and the “broken […]

Carpet Sales/Letter in English Read More

New York Scams: Don't Take Any Handouts While In Times Square (with video below) There are a plethora of New York scams out there to avoid if you travel to the Big Apple, but today we focus on the CD Bully Scam. Let's imagine a scenario. You are admiring the energy that Times Square has […]

CD Bullies in New York Read More

How the scam works: You are on vacation in Beijing (or any other Chinese town) and enjoying a day-tour of the city. Your group was taken to the tomb of Emperor Yongle, then to the Great Wall, and now you are ready for your next destination. In between, the bus tour stops for a well-deserved […]

Chinese Health Check Read More

Compensation Claim: How It Works This happens throughout the world, in busy cities. A stranger strategically bumps into you and drops his bag – and you both hear something that doesn’t sound good. As he picks up the bag and looks inside, his porcelain souvenir (or photo camera, laptop, medicine bottle, eyeglasses, etc) is […]

Compensation Claim Read More

How the scam works: As you are looking for cheap souvenirs to bring back from Cuba, you encounter a local who is “willing” to sell you a rare item: a 3 Peso Cuban banknote with Che Guevera on it. “This was printed in very limited amounts, just under a hundred, as an anniversary banknote”. Tourists […]

Cuban 3 Peso Banknote Read More

How the scam works: One of the most common travel scams is pulled when tourists change their currency at local exchange offices, vendors, or simply with individuals. In Bali and Indonesia for example, not only is the conversion rate incorrect, but the scam actually works by the crooks handing you a calculator, to do the […]

Currency Changers Read More

How the scam works: If you are in a different country as a tourist, chances are you’ve already been a victim of this scam. Most restaurants, shops, and local hotels have their own currency conversion rate and don’t adhere to bank’ rates. This means that every time you pay with your credit card you are charged extra money […]

Currency Conversion Read More

The Sad Truth About Convincing Panhandlers: A Scam That Opens Your Heart and Wallet (with video below) As you are enjoying your walk in a popular location as a tourist or shopper, someone who appears to be in bad shape approaches you with a piece of paper and a pen, pretending to be mute, […]

Deaf/Mute Panhandlers Read More