8 tourist scams that could ruin your trip (and how to outsmart every single one)

Exploring a new city? Being tourists in a new city, we are often excited to explore as much as possible, but the trip could take a bad turn if you are not careful. Scammers have different ways to scam us in some way or the other, and you won’t believe the tricks they use. Their tricks are so concealed that one can never guess them, but the good news is that by being a little prepared and aware of what scams are happening around the world, they can be avoided. We have decided to make your trips safer and stress-free by listing down all the scams that one might face while on a trip.

Scammers often try to distract you by talking, creating a sudden commotion, or spilling drinks so that you are distracted from your valuables and they can easily steal them from your pockets, bags, or backpacks. These scammers are mostly quite skilled and work in groups, so one needs to be extra careful. One should keep their valuables in zipped or inner pockets so that they are not easily accessible and always stay alert about their surroundings.

We’ve all faced this issue. Auto or cab drivers often demand way more extra money than they should for a small distance from tourists just because they are unaware of the distance. They often scam by refusing to use meters or taking longer routes to increase the fare. Always book cabs or taxis through apps like Uber or Ola with transparent fares, or ask the hotel staff beforehand about the usual fare for the route you are going on so that you are aware.

Sometimes shops, restaurants, or any kind of service providers add hidden charges or inflate prices for tourists. One should always ask for prices beforehand to not be scammed after being provided the service, check the receipt properly, and avoid buying tickets from unofficial people.

This is a common occurrence with tourists where the taxi drivers or people standing outside famous attractions claim that they can take you for a guided tour to another place and then demand twice the money it should be for a guided tour after the tour finishes, or have a commission at the alternate locations they are taking you to. One should avoid talking to such people and insist on their own itinerary and hotel to avoid being scammed.

A stranger might approach you and give you a free gift and then aggressively demand money for it, even though they claimed it was free. If you face such an issue, then one should decline and never accept anything from strangers to avoid a payment demand afterwards.

Fake QR codes are often placed on the actual ones to redirect payments to the scammer’s account, so one should be very careful while doing a transaction and often check for tampering.

If you are a tourist in a city, it is quite possible that someone will try to sell you some famous original good that is solely found in that city, like gems, jewellery, or souvenirs, which is often a duplicate of the actual item or of poor quality. One should properly research a product before buying it to avoid being scammed.

Scammers often approach tourists advertising some hotel or rental place to stay and then take full payment in advance for the accommodation, but they never provide it. One should not pay money in advance to strangers and should always use official websites to book accommodations.