In the heat of travel season it’s important to be in the know. Being in a foreign country leaves you vulnerable and susceptible to all sorts of tricks and scams, many of which even the most seasoned traveler could fall for.
When I was the ripe old age of 15, traveling alone for work (one of my first modeling gigs), I was excited to explore Rome (and Italian boys!) But seeing a woman being dragged down the street by a gypsy on a vespa made me realize I definitely wasn’t in Kansas anymore. A “cultural experience” like that was enough for me to want to get travel-savvy, ASAP! Read on to be able to spot these eight travel scams and save yourself a whole lot of stress:
Sketchy Cab Drivers
A common scam vacationers run into is the cabbie who insists on unloading your bags for you from the trunk, appears in a rush and is gone in a flash after handling your bags. It’s only after you’re left in the dust that you realize one of your bags is missing. Or worse, the minute you get out, the cabbie drives off with your luggage in the trunk. Get the driver’s name, cab # and company during the ride so you’re prepared if something goes awry. If you’re with a companion, have him or her grab your bags while you stay in the back seat. Or keep your bags with you in the back seat and dodge his sticky fingers altogether.
“CD Bullies”
It wouldn’t be a trip to the Big Apple without someone trying to hawk something for you to buy. Typically a “no thank you” works but sometimes things can escalate. A good example is Times Square’s so-called “CD bullies”. They hand you a “free” copy of their CD and will even autograph it for you– how nice, right? Yet it’s not until it’s already in your hands that the aspiring rapper will demand 10 bucks and refuse to take it back, with the help of his intimidating friends on cue. If you get stuck in this NYC trap, just gently place the CD on the ground and flee the scene.
Animal Photo Ops
Getting a photo with an elephant or camel is big with tourists. Their trainers will usually offer $15 photo-ops on the camel’s back in front of iconic places like the great pyramids in Cairo. Yet once you’ve mounted the 8-foot tall beast and taken your photo, the trainers will demand another $15 just to get off. They’ll hold you hostage up their until you pay up– scary! Or they’ll offer to take a photo of you with an animal, but then demand a photography fee give you your camera back. Be wary of animal trainers or photographers offering photo ops, there’s usually a caveat. Plus, you can be sure that the animal was stolen from its family in the wild, trained using torturous techniques, and is not a happy camper.
Greedy Monkeys
In places like Bali and Costa Rica, monkeys (or rather, their captors) have good taste and love fine things. These brazen cute little primates have been trained to snatch your valuables before you can blink an eye and say “WTF?” Of course, some experienced locals will be happy to retrieve your loot for you –for a small(ish) price. Instead, find a staff member of some kind to help you out. Or better yet, keep your smaller goodies like sunglasses secured in your bag and away from any pesky mammals if you’re going somewhere with monkeys around.
The Fake Baby Scam
Ah, Rome. The land of the infamous fake baby trick. This scam works by a woman tripping and throwing her bundled “baby” right into your line of fire so you’ll have to try and save it. While you’re enthralled with what’s probably a sack of flour in a scarf, thieves will be taking your camera bag or anything else you’ve left behind in pursuit of saving this woman’s baby. They’re really good. Another common gypsy endeavor happens when a small child comes up to you to give you a flower, while another one is picking through your purse or pockets behind you. Beware of anyone tripping and tossing their baby, or any other weird situations. It’s most likely a distraction.
“Free” Massages on the Beach
Who wouldn’t want a free massage while basking in the sun on the beach? This scam is super common on the beaches in South America, like Colombia’s Baru Islands Playa Blanca. You’ll be soaking up the sun when a woman comes up and begins massaging you, as a “gift.” Creepy, but great! Yet after you’ve enjoyed the treat, she’ll ask for about $10 in pesos for her services. When traveling, it’s important to remember that nothing is actually free, so expect local opportunists to charge you for just about anything they do for you.
Foreign Petitions
This travel scam is most often deployed in Paris, in high-volume tourist spots like the Pont des Arts foot bridge. If someone comes up to you asking you to sign their petition for some ‘really important cause’, in a foreign language no less, don’t do it. The poetic french writing is really saying something to the effect of “if you sign this you have to give me 200 Euros or else.” Don’t sign anything you can’t understand, regardless of what the young activist is telling you about it.
The String Trick
My mother always told me not to accept gifts from strangers, and when traveling, this is one of the most important rules to follow. This scam is particularly prevalent in the Montmartre area of Paris, where tourists run rampant. If someone comes up to you with a piece of string, yarn or fabric and asks to make you a bracelet or ring as a gift, say no and walk away. They’re planning on tying the string around your wrist or finger so tight you won’t be able to get out of it, and then they’ll force you to the nearest ATM and only free you from the string if you empty your bank account for them, usually with the help of some burly friends. As they say, don’t take candy from strangers. It’s a common trap that way too many vacationers fall for.
Being an educated traveler is essential to staying out of trouble and having an amazing vacation. You often don’t even need to leave the US to get scammed by someone banking on a gullible tourist falling into their trap. The most important words of wisdom to remember when jet-setting are that nothing is free, and don’t accept anything from strangers. In other words, do your best to not be a tourist! You’ll look cooler anyway.
Want more? Check out these 4 Scary Hotel Scams and learn how to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
Have you been scammed while traveling? Tell us below!
Oh crap. I was being bullied at the Time Square by an aspiring rapper. He forced me to buy his CD, or they will do something to me.
Whoa! I never heard of that in Pont des Arts, Paris. Thank you for warning us about all of these scamming stuff. Travelers need tips like these, especially those who aren’t familiar with their scamming techniques.
My first visit to Tokyo some young man approached me and my friends, telling us he was an art student at the University of Tokyo, and invited us to this exhibit, he said the money made from the ticket sales were going to be donated to homeless children foundation. So we bought the tickets, about $100 each!!! The next day when we went to the address on the tickets, we found out that there was no exhibition and it was nothing but an abandoned old building. We were scammed big time!!
What about those fake police officers in Mexico? My boyfriend and I were stopped by two men in Mexican police uniforms. They asked to see our passports and they did a physical search on my boyfriend. They said everything was ok and let us go. Little did we know his wallet was stolen… We found out at a 5 star restaurant when he was paying our bill. So embarrassing and annoying!
Accept the fact that wherever you go, there are scammers. They are like the weed in a garden that even though you don’t want them there, they will be there. The best thing you will do is just to be alert at all times because you don’t know when will the scammers will scam you. I’m sure you don’t want to get back home with anything but bad memories.
OMG! SERIOUSLY? THAT WAS JUST A SCAM???? I GAVE 200 EUROS WHEN I WAS IN PARIS BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT IT WAS FOR A CHARITY WORK!!!
Cmon, it’s not bad to get free stuff, as long as you know it is for real, free. In South Korea, there is a lof of free stuff, and they are for real, free.
If you’re not smart enough, you’ll get scammed anywhere, not necessarily while traveling. But it’s certainly easier in a foreigner place, especially when you can’t speak the local language!
When my wife, and I was on our honeymoon in France, and we never thought that our honeymoon would also be our worst nightmare. All our luggage was in the trunk of the cab, and we are sitting at the back of the driver. What I did was I paid him before he opens the trunk, and get my luggage. Luckily, our passport, cash, and credit cards are in my bag that I carry, but our camera and Ipads were inside the luggage. The worst thing is that my gift for her is inside her luggage, and that would be a surprise when she opens her luggage, she can she the necklace I bought for her.
I’m planning to travel in Japan this September, and that is going to be my first travel in Asia if ever. Any tips, or suggestion about going to that country? Are there scammers there too? It’s hard to go to a country where people barely speaks English, and I’m getting more nervous after reading your articles about scammers in every place.