If it looks too good to be true then it probably is.

Getting ripped off is part of travel. Wherever travellers meet up around the world there will be stories of scams and everybody is eventually caught out somehow. If its just a case of a few dollars then no harm is done – think of it as educative.

But sometimes people lose a lot of money through naivety and their own greed. One of the common themes is to be befriended by a local over a number of days before being offered an opportunity to make some money in a deal. Not every local is a scam merchant and it would be incredibly sad if you travelled the world constantly suspicious that they are. But think of it this way; if you saw a tourist being befriended on Bourke Street or Pitt Street by a local who was offering to show his new friend around the city, would you think it was genuine?

The following is a collection of the most prevalent travel rip-offs around the world. It is not an exhaustive list and we would be really interested to hear about your experiences with a scam. Let us know on scamalert@goingoverseas.net.au

But please! No urban myths (like the stolen kidneys) nor any generalised complaints about overcharged rickshaw rides and the like.

The valuable gemstone deal - This is a classic scam that has caught out many travellers over the years especially in Thailand. Essentially you are offered some valuable stones for what you are told is a bargain price that will be worth many more times that amount in your home country. Often the seller talks about export restrictions as the reason why he cannot market the gems himself for the right price. You part with your cash, they send you the stones and they either do not arrive or more likely when they arrive they are worthless. Sounds obvious? Well usually the sting is much more subtle than this and possibly drawn out over a number of days. These con-artists can be very convincing and invest many days in gaining your trust once they have identified you as a mark. First time vistors to Asia are their particular favourite.

Credit card skimming - the moral of this one is simple: Never let your credit card out of your sight when using it overseas (or at home for that matter). There are countless examples of organised gangs using simple machines to swipe your card and copy the details onto a new card. In normal circumstances you are not liable for funds taken against your account by a counterfeit card but that is scant consolation if you find you cannot access money overseas because someone has drained your credit to the limit or the bank has frozen the account. Malaysia has been very bad with this problem lately but it is a worldwide phenonomeon. It was rife in London a few years back with waiters in restaurants taking credit cards just out of sight and swiping them through a hand held copier.

Backstreet money changing - Once the phrase ‘change money?’ was ubiquitous; from east Berlin & Prague through to Bombay and Katmandu but nowadays as many countries have liberalised their money exchange rules there is rarely any need to change money on the black market. Zimbabwe is one current exception where the official exchange rate offered in banks and hotels is nonsensically inadequate and the street changers will offer many more Zimbabwe dollars for your hard currency. Buyer beware. There are many stories of travellers being short changed by sleight of hand or receiving wads of out of date (worthless) notes or simply being robbed in the alley where your contact does business. And if you are ripped off what are you going to do; tell the police?

Top