I caught gypsies, keep the menu and other scams/tips
 

Everyone knows how Gypsy children steal wallets and purses as a team but I am proud to say that in collaboration with a few others in Florence I got one returned to a tourist by stepping on one of the children's feet so that he couldn't run away (meanwhile holding my own belongings out of the way so he couldn't get me). With their friend trapped the child who had the wallet dropped it on the ground. Other scams - in Mexico City I knew someone who was locked in a bar overnight until he paid his inflated bar bill -- by having someone bail him out of the locked bar. My husband was squirted with something on the street in Buenos Aires presumably to make us stop. We just moved all the faster. In Italy at least if you don't know the restaurant, it is smart to keep a copy of the original menu given to you until the bill arrives -- some will give you a second menu with higher prices should you ask for a copy of the menu when you want to question the bill. I am never afraid to ask the people at the next table if a restaurant bill is right -- and even made a friend in Paris of all places this way - once someone has stood up for you to the management, you have a bond. Italian cabs will attempt to charge the luggage surcharge for even small items. Beware of valet parking -- a Mexican colleague, not a tourist, had her car stolen in Mexico City this way.

Heh, that's a classic in HK. I've seen plenty of those monk pairs try the same. Some of them will quickly put some sticker on you to try and hook you better. The books always have some crazy amounts (like the 500 HKD you paid), but no normal donation amounts like 10 or 20 HDK.

I've seen the same in Lyon, France, but this was a 'wild life protector' instead and people seemingly had donated 100, 200 and even 1500 euros to her - very unlikely to donate that on the street.

Supposedly 99%+ of the Buddhist "monks" with begging bowls you occasionally see in Japanese train stations are fake.

The Georgian overpayment was in Mtskheta. I didn't fancy the two hour hike up the mountain so I got a taxi in the main square. I tried to negotiate a price and it was exorbitant. Ten or fifteen euros - I forget... I said so and was told that petrol is so expensive these days (the same excuse the world over). I walked away and the price didn't come down so I took it. There was no attempt to cheat, just a correct assessment by the taximan of the balance of supply and demand.

In Armenia it was more a case that the fare should have been AMD1,000 and could become AMD2,000 or even AMD3,000. Meanwhile in Stepanakert, my driver agreed prices up front but they were very expensive but in a situation where you have relatively little time and no immediately available alternative provider, you tend to go with what's available.

I think my point is that as a foreigner it is hard to get a fair price for a taxi.

We can now add Vietnam to the list of dishonest taximen - I had a driver take me 7km on a 1km drive. We argued long and hard over the price at the end (it was metred) and I paid about 5/7 of the metred price. Too much, but the taximan would have to eat the shortfall, presumably. I felt a bit guilty as the prices were small for me but large for him, but I don't like the dishonesty of turning a short journey into a massive and time consuming detour.

Russia scams
 

A popular scam in Russia is at the foreign exchange booth. You hand over your EUR/USD, the cashier behind the bullet proof glass counts the change and then drops the money into the steel mechanism under the window. You pull the draw towards you and take out the money. Since you saw her count it out, most people just pull out the money. However, sometimes, they coat the bottom with a sticky substance to that one or more bills stick (and the cashier pockets it). So always count your money when you pull it out in front of her.

I spent nine years working in Moscow and went native, learning the language and marrying a local. Anyway, most of the scams perpetrated on me were from cops.

-June 1998: local colleague and I were out on Leninsky Prospect examining a site for a billboard. Local 'Menty' Cops cruised up and asked for docs. This is common in Russia. Since all was in order, they asked if we carried any weapons. We didn't, but they wanted to see the bulge created by my Nokia 2110. They then duly confiscated the phone, saying I broke the law by not declaring a radio communications device on my inbound customs form. My colleague purchased the phone back for a few hundred Rubles (this was before the Crisis in Aug 1998, so a not inconsiderable sum).

-Dec 2002: Was stopped at 'Post GAI' police station leaving Moscow. Asked to see vehicle docs, licence etc. I had an Australian licence at the time which the 'Gaishnik' didn't believe was genuine. I had to accompany him to the station and waited and watched him fill out some report. When he was done, I asked how much - he retorted why I didn't ask him before he started writing. I told him I was new at this.... Had to ask my girlfriend to drive until out of sight, then I got behind the wheel again. Cost RUB500. Now I carry a notarised translation of the licence as well as an international driving permit.

-Dec 2004: Week before Xmas, our work Xmas Party was on. I had a thimble of wine with dinner. Some three hours later, we left, cruised to Mother-in-law's place to collect our son and headed home (which was outside of Moscow). Sure enough, I was pulled over at the 'Post GAI' on Rublovskoye Chaussee. It was after midnight, I was driving a black German SUV, and got pulled over. Had to blow into a breathalyser, which showed 0.02% BAC. Given Russia has a 0% tolerance for Alcohol, i knew what was coming up. This thimble of wine I consumed at that stage five hours earlier would well and truly be out of my system by then. Nonetheless, he requested I accompany him to the station. Aware that wife and son were in the car, I just wanted out and asked how much it would cost. He didn't say anything and just raised three fingers. I shouted at him that this was outrageous for 0.02% and would give him two (hundred USD). He backed down, i gave him EUR150 (which worked out to be roughly USD200). He snarled, asking for USD200. I politely pointed out to him that EUR150 = USD200. He backed down, stopped traffic for me, escorted me to the car, stopped traffic for me pull out and off I went. :mad:

Normally, you wait for the ambulanceand do a blood test. But it was after midnight, child and wife in the car. Cops know that i want out and I had to pay. Alcohol restrictions are now 0.03%, but anything above that is automatic loss of licence and criminal record if you have an accident. Anectodally, the going rate is USD5,000 and up depending on how much you've drunk.

There's a few more scam stories like this in my repertoire, mainly dealing with traffic cops in Moscow.

-Cab drivers in Soci: they invented scamming. Every trick in the book. Losers. Lovely place, great scenery etc. but even the locals are embarrased by them. And their richest pickings: Muscovites!

Another poster noted about foreigners paying extra in India when visiting tourist sites, well, it is (or was) the same in Russia. The rationale is the locals' purchasing power is much less than that of foreigners, so foreign visitors subsidise locals. Since my Russian is fluent, I usually get away with paying local rates when with foreign friends. :cool:

NG1Fan

Scammed a fetimes but been pretty lucky overall (visited 100 countries).
1. egypt.. book warned about people coming up to you on the street and taking you to papyrus shops. I knew about it but still bought overpriced papyrii. anyway :)

2. taxi scams, numerous times but the most egregious was 150EUR for 4 hr taxi in Melilla, Spain.. I wanted to go over the border into Morocco. that was fine but the 2 hrs waiting to get back into Melilla I should have just walked back across. Hotel taxis are always a scam. Cross the street and you can get one for half the price.

3. pickpockets.. only happened twice, and only once got my wallet (just last year) in st. petersburg russia when getting on the subway. Wallet was in my front pocket, tucked under my shirt and they managed to get it anyway. :eek: I knew it happened right away but the guy had run out the door already.

I'm sure there's others but can't think of any at the moment..

Duty-free shops in London and GVA are doing this now...and adding 3% on top of the lousy exchange rate. They don't tell you this up front, of course.

I've been traveling internationally for about 30 years and have been pretty savvy. I tried to read up on scams before each trip and take Lonely Planet to heart. Never been pick pocketed and nipped dozens of scams in the bud. Still been caught a few times.

Most disgusting scam I experienced are the Indians who throw feces on your shoes in New Delhi and then ask for money to clean them off. I knew about the scam, got hit, and told the guy to f*** off and cleaned them myself. Also was hit at the train station by three guys insisting foreigners cannot buy tickets from the main windows but have to go to the tourist office across the street from the station. Ignored them and they went away. Never met anyone in India who was friendly that wasn't shooting an angle. Horrible place and the only place I've been that I have zero desire to return to. Scams are so relentless in Kerala, Cochin, Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi I almost bailed on the trip by buying a cheap ticket to Thailand.

Consistently get told by taxis in BKK that the place I'm going is closed. I tell them I want to go there anyway to confirm it's closed and they generally relent and take the fare vs. losing the baht.

Got change in counterfeit notes in Renmin park in Chengdu buying a fake watch. Made the guy make it right and kept the counterfeits as a souvenir. He thought that was kind of funny.

No scams encountered in Singapore. None in Krabi, Ko Phangan or small areas of Phuket, Thailand. Also no problems in Argentina or Uruguay. Also no problems in Siem Reap.

In Beijing I negotiated a taxi for a day and spelled out exactly where I wanted to go, how much was to be paid and no shopping. The guy I negotiated with sent another car for me and my friend. Took us first to a crappy jade shop where he insisted we stay for 30 minutes. Then took us to a part of the Great Wall that was different than what we requested. We climbed a section and found a metered taxi when we came down and just bailed on the scammers. BTW, I never, ever pay in advance for these types of things.

In situations where they want a deposit, I'll rip half a large banknote and hand it to them. They get the other half when they've fulfilled their promise. At least if I get screwed so do they.

I also ALWAYS take pictures of license plates and drivers telling them it helps us find them when we exit attractions, museums, restaurants, etc. Truth is that is 50% of why I take the pictures. It also doesn't hurt that they know they can be identified later if the needs presents itself due to a scam.

While it's probably only tangentially related to the story, I was linked to a fairly interesting site where you can print off your very own Zero Rupee notes specifically for bribes. According to the site it works surprisingly well, but I can always imagine it's not without risk as a tourist.

http://india.5thpillar.org/ZRN

Taxi to FCO on christmas eve... the guy "forgot" to turn on his meter (it was flat fare), so I guess he pocketed the 40€.

Some common scams in Italy
 

These are probably present all over the place, but...

In Naples buying anything from the vendors in Piazza Garibaldi (outside of Stazione Centrale) is a really bad idea, especially electronics. It's very common for scammers to show you a "display" model of a IPhone or similar device and quote a fantastic price for it. Then they actually give you a "new" one in what looks like the original box for the product wrapped in plastic. When you open it, you'll find a brick inside.

This has been going on for awhile... in the 80s they would sell you big stereo systems... with big rocks inside the box.

Even if you buy something "real," such as a hat or clothing, in Pizza Garibaldi it's likely to be a fake designer brand that will put you at risk of detainment by the Guardia di Finanzia (customs police). There's a reason all those vendors sell things on cardboard box tables they can run off with at a moment's notice.

It's also common to have ladies walk through low-fare trains leaving notes on the seat indicating that she has 5 hungry children and needs money to feed them. She then comes back and expects money. Usually if I see her coming I pretend to be asleep (but ensure I have my baggage close to me).

As someone who travels to Japan quite often, I cannot imagine being scammed by a Japanese in any way. I once had a merchant at a train station, hunt me down to return some change since she had overcharged me when I bought one kind of newspaper and she thought I had another. I often have Japanese refuse a tip for service. A hotel maid will not pick up money that you leave in your room as a tip, unless it's in an envelope and specifically states what it is. The Japanese culture is one of respect for others' and their property. This goes for old and young alike. (BTW, you will never see parking lot dings in car doors there either.)

In Las Vegas cabs from the airport to the strip will take the long way via the freeway and the fare will be double what it would have been on city streets.

Disagree with that. While the freeway is longer in terms of mileage it's often a shorter and less expensive trip due to the traffic on the streets. I thought the same way you did until I called a driver on it a few years ago. He flat out told me if the ride on the expressway was more than it was in the other direction on the streets then the ride was on him. He was right.

A co-worker once reported that when he exchanged money in Japan and counted his yen afterwards, the young lady at the counter burst into tears. She considered it a sign that he didn't trust her. (AFAIK, the amount was correct.)