sbagal I'm happy to have provided another possibility, as you said the most important thing here is to make everyone aware. Whenever using a cab it's best to have small notes available (as fares are usually low) and to even hold them up and say the amount as you hand them to the driver. Drivers have been known to tell tourists that they mistakenly gave a smaller note then they intended and since they don't know the currency that well they tend to believe the driver and hand over some more. Always be on guard.

WARNING: Cab drivers substituting false bills
 

Let me add it may be even a better idea to have enough one peso coins to pay for the cab ride. Don't think those yet are being counterfeited. (?)

But be certain ahead of time the notes you are giving is good by checking all of your bills for the watermarks, so you know you are getting scammed if he says it is bad.

And then like you advise, be sure in a dark cab to watch where the money is going when it gets handled. Or even show the driver directly by holding it up to the light before you hand it over, that it is good.

All of which is a terrible bother to keep doing everytime you have a transaction. I had had such good feelings about BsAs up to that point. I had just told silverspringer in a phone call before meeting them for dinner "I love this city!"

I felt pretty helpless about handing over the bills to him - I was shocked when it happened, and I kept handing him more and more bills to make it good. He was aggressive and I felt bullied and terribly frustrated.

I have had now only two bad travel experiences in my 40 years of independent travel, so over all I have been lucky and have traveled reasonably carefree. Unfortunately both of my bad incidents now were in South America.

Getting robbed in my hotel elevator in Rio in the middle of the afternoon (Hotel Gloria - nice hotel) put me off traveling in South America for years. I took the chance again, and then this happened though this was more of bad nuisance than a really scary thing --- but I was victimized, because I was a tourist.

Wish I had known about the scam (very glad now that I do and hope others do too) because I would have gone into my hotel for help after the first few bills were declared fakes, rather than sitting there and making it worse and worse -- if indeed this is what happened.

And as I said, this does seem more and more likely this was the scenario -- because it was just too weird to have 3 bad transactions all at once. One bad transaction and now here is the clincher -- the police noted that all the same denomination bills had the same serial numbers!!!!!! So at least some of them came from the same sources.

Again, it would be too coincidental that three separate transactions would each offer same denomination bills with similar serial numbers.

And now in retrospect, that was the only transaction where all those various sourced bills were in one place at the same time. Groan.

Now I will have to withdraw my complaints about Banco Frances and all the others who did protest their innocence.

But the message to Argentina in general is if this is going on, it will dampen tourism and they will ultimately pay a bigger price than each individual tourist pays in the scam. The betrayal was the bigger loss than the monetary loss.

Being aware now is being prepared and cautious about one more possibility. This was a good lesson. I was being naive. And the ironic thing is that I thought I was being safer waiting for a "radio" cab ..... so I would not be robbed.

sbagal

sbagal like you in our many years of travel all of our bad experiences were in South America. In Rio while on the beach I was distracted by vendors and they somehow managed to steal my spouses shorts from right next to me without my knowledge. This January in Montevideo while walking around the old town a young man boldly ran up to my spouse (while he was facing towards him because he thought that something was about to happen) and plunged a hand into his pocket and grabbed the one credit card he had there along with a few pesos, when we gave chase he dropped them in the street one at a time. And finally in Buenos Aires in 2004 we were taking a walk to the Jardin Japones and suddenly found ourselves with gross green muck on our clothes and two ladies wanting to come to our rescue to clean the "bird droppings" off of us, luckily we had heard of this scam so we forcefully declined and went to the police to report the incident. You can never let your guard down too low even when you start to feel comfortable, and like us don't let it stop you from travelling. We are back in Buenos Aires this January for our 4th visit.

Let me (sheepishly) admit I fell for this in Buenos Aires. Dark street, handed him 2 10-peso notes. I'm not paying attention at all. He turns to the front, turns back pretty quickly, tells me I gave him 2 2-peso notes. I think oops, man, I must be really tired. Quick give him replacement notes and get my change. Later on in my room, I count my money and realize I'm exactly 16 pesos short.

Needless to say, after that I always took down the cab's license number and carefully handed bills to the driver, said the amount aloud, had him repeat it, and then handed it to him. A real pain and definitely something that soured our experience.

Very sorry to hear about the bad experiences with false currency. As always, a few bad apples spoil things for all the rest of us. Crooks are part of every large city and sometimes these things do happen. They are of course unexcusable and while the city of Buenos Aires has been implementing different things to improve here and there, a lot of work still remains.

I sincerely hope that these mishaps do not keep you from returning to Argentina.

Still loved Buenos Aires
 

Gaucho,

I still loved Buenos Aires despite the scam. I think part of its sting is being a seasoned traveler, having done my homework and being reasonably cautious always when I travel, this money switch still happened to me ... after decades of carefree travel.

Wounded pride and unfortunately this lapse did happen in Argentina, and not in the 63 other countries I have traveled in without incidence.

So keep doing the good job you are doing with this website. I felt at home in this city after reading all your tips and advice. I was able to maximize my time there because you had helped me weed out a lot of information.

I am glad I was able to put others on alert with this new version of a tourist scam --- now that the bird poop one has been too well exposed --- so may we all now celebrate being even more seasoned travellers.

I couldn't get enough of your wonderful city. I walked and walked all over and was always surprised and always pleased. And found 99% of other travel warnings others had posted were simply not problems. The subway was a wonderful way to get around.

I fell in love with all the activity and tackiness of Lavalle and Florida Street. My weird little cheap hotel was perfect for me. I got to the opera. I got to Colonia in Uruguay. I got to Boca. I got to do just about everything but meet you -- but I was close. I was on the other side of the zoo from you one day.

And I got to meet those who did get to meet you --- silverspringer and her husband for a FT gathering that made the trip even better by sharing dinner nights out with others who also have a passion for travel and new experiences.

I loved eating Argentinian beef at all levels of grill restaurants. Damn, that chimmichuri was good at La Estancia on Lavalle Street. I never got my fill of gelato and tried every brand I came across.

The city was lively, intimate and full of passion and occasionally untamed corners, but it always felt safe with people friendly and eager to share their own love for this special city.

I will be back. And I would stay again exactly where I was in the Hotel Grand King -- right in the heart of **my** BsAs. And I even think I would do everything I did all over again -- except let that currency scam happen again.

sbagal

We spent two weeks in Argentina in October and are planning another trip next November. Needless to say we loved it. One comment on the counterfeit bills is this is not just a tourist scam. While shopping in San Telmo a clerk carefully examined our bills. We asked what she looked for and she showed us. She also showed us several counterfeit bills that had been passed at the store. It seems that the owner is elderly and has poor eye sight. This is apparently understood and makes him particularly susceptible to the scam. Although we did not experience the taxi scam described in this thread we did experience another one. One evening returning from dinner at La Estancia to the Hilton I noticed the meter seemed to be racing . When we arrived the bill seemed to be out of line with previous taxi fares. Well it was late, diner was good, the wine was better, life was good, and what is the big deal about a $9 cab fare? Next time the same ride was maybe $3. If this is as bad as it gets, no problem.

Back in April I posted the following... Based on the last few posts, it's still good info and worthy of repost... I travel to Argentina often and generally observe what I preach. I will be taking my spouse and two adult daughters to BsAs in March, then two of them head for home and my 18 year old daughter and I depart via Chile for Sydney... We plan to be solvent when we leave Argentina, God willing!

There's a scam going around in Argentina now with a very credible looking 50 Peso banknote which is completely bogus. Unscrupulous scammers attempt to pass these off to foreigners in change transactions... Here's some advice that has worked well for me and my family...

After clearing Argentine Customs and Immigration at EZE, exit into the main terminal and walk around to the right to the Banco de la Nacion Argentina... It's kind of hidden away in a corner. You can use their ATM there with your regular bank card... I only usually take out 300-400 Pesos, about USD $100 -$130. Since you'll usually get ARS (Argentine Pesos) out of the ATM in 100 Peso notes, go to one of the 2 bank counters (the bank is even open on Sundays and holidays) to change some of the notes to 10 and 20 Pesos. Ask the Teller to provide you with a "Legal Tender Convertible Pesos (Pesos Convertibles de USO Legal)" brochure, which is provided by the State Bank to tourists, which depicts color pictures of the ONLY 6 ARGENTINE BANKNOTES WHICH ARE LEGAL! These banknotes are in the following denominations: 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100. The brochure shows the banknote face in full color and the brochure easily folds into your billfold for discrete, easy reference. Note the posters on the bank walls which show current counterfeit bills being passed.

Also, I usually bring along about 30 - 50 single US Dollars and 10 or so US $5 bills. Along with ARS, I only carry some of these USD bill denominations each day, leaving the rest in my hotel room safe. US dollars are readily useable in BsAs and Uruguay and are excellent for taxi driver tips, etc. Most places accept USD at USD $1.00 = ARS $3.00 (Pesos). In Uruguay the dollar is = to about 25.5 Uruguayan Pesos (UYP).

Lastly, Argentina, like many other Latin American countries, is troubled by a great amount of credit card fraud... As a way to protect yourself against additional charges showing up on your accounts after you leave the country, do the following... Before you leave on your trip, contact your CC company and advise them specifically on the dates and the countries that you will be using their card in and the date that you will be leaving. Also, contact the bank/credit union which issued your ATM card and advise them as well of the dates and countries that you will be accessing ATM machines in.

"When in Rome..." You won't see many Argentines wearing much jewelry except at parties at home ... Religious medals are okay. When in touristic areas, place your wallet in your front pants pocket and keep your hand on it. Except when traveling on a day trip to Uruguay, leave your passports in the hotel safe. Make a color photocopy of your passport and keep it in your billfold in the event that you loose your wallet. Sometimes a reputable merchant will ask for your passport number to be written under your signature on a credit card charge. There is even a line for it on many charge receipts as a way that CC companies can prevent fraud. (I always write a bogus number when asked). DO NOT EVER write your Social Security number anywhere or keep your SS card in your wallet... Leave this card at home! Your SS number is important to thieves who attempt identity theft...

In my experience over the years, 99% of Argentines are great, spiritual, friendly and honest souls who value visitors... It's that 1% who see tourists as a target that we have to be wary of...

Everywhere in the world -- from DC/NYC to Buenos Aires to London to Stockholm to Delhi to places far off the beaten path, I note the cab-related info (incl. license plate number, driver info generally displayed on inside of cab, etc.) and try to call it in/message it in to be kept for a quarter. This helps in case something is left in the cab or if there is some other kind of issue. Overkill? Perhaps, but it's a habit that has delivered good results where otherwise an unfortunate incident may have either manifested or been unresolvable.

That said, I've observed cabbies in DC and Lisbon most routinely and excessively (vis-a-vis standard fare) rip off customers and do so unapologetically on an industry-wide basis than in Buenos Aires. There are bad apple cabbies and truly unscrupulous "posers" in Buenos Aires too, but if armed with a cell phone, using a radio taxi and you make it apparent to the driver that you are communicating the details of your taxi, then the likelihood of being fleeced decreases.

Alejandro, thanks for having the interest and taking the time to help strangers.

One question: what is the average fee for private transport from hotel to airport? We're arriving by cruise ship and will be a week at the Marriott (on points). I've a $26 quote for the both of us - what do you think? Seems reasonable to me ......

Mike

Cab fares from EZE
 

Prices for airport cab fare seem to range from 50-75 pesos. So US$26 is in the ball park.

Again the standard cautions to whatever service you hire: watch for extra toll booth charges; fake "porters" who grab your bags and shake you down for tips; and any possible fake currency switches when pay your bill directly to the driver.

Webcam links for BsAs views
 

Pick your favorite webcam location for Buenos Aires and see what is happening on the spot:

http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/...o_camara09.php

sbagal

having just returned from Bs.As I have to comment on two things. One is I can not imagine giving a taxi driver a $100 peso note. (would you give a taxi a !00 bill for a 10$usd ride in NYC? ) Most rides were 5-7 pesos. No cab ride we took over two weeks cost more than 13pesos and that was from Recoleta to Villa Urquiza (about 50km) It is foolish to not have small amounts to give to a taxi driver. The other is that the regular Radio taxis to and from eze to centro should be about 45pesos (15usd) including toll. Ask before getting in at the airport.
75 pesos is way out of line.
As far as crime we were out every night until 3-4am took radio taxis and spent lots of time in areas with very few tourists (thats what tango in local clubs every night does to you)
Use common sense as you would in any city and you will have no problem.
Buenos Aires is a great city have a good time.

More about the radio taxi fake currencey scam
 

Please be kinder and respond to the the whole currency scam story, not just your version of it.

I had taken one of my one hundred notes to my hotel desk on a Sunday (no banks open) to get small change, exactly so I would have small bills to pay for the cab fare. The scam started when I kept offering those small bills to the taxi driver and he rejected all of them as false.

I notice you say "we" when your report your experiences. I was a woman travelling alone and have traveled independently for over 40 years all around the world, several times with no other unfortunate incidence except being robbed in my hotel elevator in Brazil. That incident turned me into a very aware and cautious traveller, and I have enjoyed every minute visiting over 64 countries.

I think this situation was taken advantage of that night by that particular cab driver, particularly because I was getting picked up at a tourist location restaurant: La Caballezia in Puerto Madero.

My main vulnerability was my trust in "radio taxis" being the "good guys", so I trusted the cab driver and thought he was being helpful.

That is how he got his hands on the other 100 peso notes - because after he rejected all my small bills as false I showed him the only ones I had left which he also claimed were false.

At that point I was distressed and not operating with appropriate caution ... again because I saw him as the "good guy", and I believed that maybe my hotel and the prior restuarant and now even the bank ATM were the "bad guys" who had foisted this fake money on me all the sudden in the past few hours.

Please don't add to the pain of this situation by claiming I was foolish, as well as unwise. I felt it was far more important to share my story to help others, than be made to feel embarassed by it. :(

sbagal

Sorry about that, didnt intend to add to the pain. My only excuse is that I am tired, grumpy and suffering the pain of just getting off of AA956 eze to jfk in Y, 21H but still pain in butt, maybe some day they will put padding in those seats, and tilt them so that you dont slip down all night.