Travel Scams

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

How the scam works: The most common place where this scam is pulled is South America. You go to a local bar, even with a couple of friends, and start drinking. During the evening, you make new local friends and might buy them a drink. They would like to return the favor and they buy […]

Drinking Buddy Read More

How the scam works: If you are traveling to the Philippines and use the transit system, you might witness somebody dropping coins “by mistake”. As the bus is moving and coins are spread all over the place, good citizens are trying to help pick them up and hand them back to the owner. If this […]

Dropping Coins in Philippines Read More

How the scam works: Cocaine and marijuana are the most popular drugs in the world. Marijuana is legal in Spain, if it is used in moderation (in official wording – “for medical purposes”). However, tons of young people are selling it illegally in all the major cities. We know you don’t do drugs, but just in […]

Drugs in Ibiza Read More

How the scam works: One of the most common scams pulled by shady Egyptian vendors is to offer you an apparently great price for an item and then nicely pack it for you. After you pick it up and try to pay – he stops you and makes a scene. “I said 5 English Pounds, […]

Egyptian Pound Read More

How the scam works: You are traveling to a different city for a few days. While there, you will need to make a lot of calls, so having a local cell phone would be a good idea, right? Right. Unfortunately, certain local cell phone providers might take your skin off, using the following trick: once […]

Airport Cell Phone Rental Read More

How the scam works: You are in an airport. A well-dressed gentleman approaches you, introduces himself and tells you he is short $11 to pay for a boarding charge because he has extra baggage weight. He might say: “Now they charge an extra $20 if you have more than 20 pounds. They don’t take cards […]

Airport Panhandler Read More

How the scam works: This is a scam that happens often in Thailand and Cambodia. If you are in one of their airports’ shops, keep a considerable distance from the shelves or leave your bags outside the stores. This is an organized scam where fake or even real police officers will take you away, suggesting you stole […]

Airport Staged Shoplifting Read More

How the scam works: You just got off of a long flight. You're in a foreign country and all you want to do is go to the hotel and crash. You walk out of your gate, get your luggage and are finally on your way out when you stop and take a second look at […]

Airport Pick Up Read More

How the scam works: You are starting your all-inclusive trip in, say, Cancun – Mexico. Your plane just landed, and you are happy the hotel you’re staying at has a shuttle available. As you come out of Terminal 3, you find out from an airport employee that your shuttle is at Terminal 2, which, he […]

Airport Terminal Switch Read More

Baby Gypsy Throw Scam: How It Works This happens a lot in some of the most touristy places in the world, so if you are about to travel – watch out! You're getting pickpocketed without knowing. In order to pickpocket you while in a busy place, a gypsy woman will throw her infant at you […]

Baby Thrown at You Read More