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!
I never knew about those CD Bullies in NYC! Thank you for this advice, since we’re planning to take a short vacation there by the end of the week.
It’s sad that people in Rome are using babies to scam even though it’s fake.
Yes, I feel bad if they have a baby and they still kept doing this.
Those pesky monkeys happened to me and my friends when we had a vacation. We were advised not to put out any plastic bags and food when the trip begins. As we were keeping our foods, one of the monkeys jump out of my friend and took his food.?
This is scary especially when you don’t know the place.
That’s why I don’t like to travel alone because of situations like this. I don’t know what will I do if this happens to me.?
These tourist scams used to be worse pre-2010’s. Now thanks to internet everybody’s aware of these scams and most people don’t fall for these tricks!
I have experienced most of these. Unfortunately. Lots of so called helpful friendly locals Thailand, pickpocket kids in Rome… Especially watch out for those kids! They can be so tricky.
Through the bad and the good, travelling is amazing! Sure it’s only natural to face some troubles, but it’s worth it.
CD bullies are everywhere to be honest. And probably even worse out here in Compton. We call them mixtape bullies. They force you into buying their mixtapes or they throw stuff like trash or empty bottles at you.
A cab driver once scammed us, and out of nowhere, I’ve seen him again waiting for passengers. I immediately run towards him and hit him in the face.
He deserves your punch