Going on vacation soon?
Then you know that security is paramount, because scams of all kinds are never far away.
Whether it's to steal your money, your passport or your belongings, no one is safe.
Fortunately, here is the guide to not being fooled again by all these scams.
Even though some of these traps are used more in some countries, be aware that anything can happen anywhere.
Be on your guard, but don't forget to have fun because the vast majority of people you will meet are honest!
A local approaches you and offers you a Brazilian bracelet as a token of friendship. Despite your refusal, this person grabs your wrist and begins to weave the bracelet. And of course, she demands payment for her gesture of friendship! It can also be used to divert your attention while an accomplice pickpockets you.
Common scam in:Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Cairo
You are walking as a couple when a man approaches you and offers a rose to your partner. Then he asks you to pay for the rose (at an exorbitant price) and makes you feel guilty if you refuse to offer a flower to your lover!
Common scam in:Paris, Rome and Barcelona
A woman finds a ring in front of you (she just dropped it) and asks if it belongs to you. She carefully inspects the ring and claims it's gold (it's not). Then she tries to sell you the ring, at a ridiculously low price — except the ring is NOT gold!
Frequent scam in:Paris
A woman approaches you and throws her baby in your arms (usually a doll). By the time you understand what's going on, accomplice pickpockets take advantage of your inattention to pickpocket you.
Common scam in:Rome
In the middle of the street, a man is organizing a game of chance:finding a ball under cups, hat, magic trick, etc. A group of accomplices disguised as tourists watch his show to arouse your curiosity and attract you to the show. Once you're focused on the game, his accomplices discreetly pickpocket you.
Common scam in:Paris and London
You notice an empty wallet on the floor, as if it had been thrown away following a theft. You pass by and instinctively check your pocket to make sure you haven't lost yours. What you cannot know is that a pickpocket observed your gesture. Now he knows exactly where to pick your pockets a little further down the street!
Common scam in:Rome and Ukraine
Without your knowledge, someone discreetly stains your jacket (with ketchup, mayonnaise or fake bird droppings). Then that person graciously insists on cleaning your jacket. And by the way, she takes the opportunity to pick your pockets!
Common scam in:Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro
A passerby's shoe brush "accidentally" falls on your feet. Out of politeness, you pick up the brush and the gentleman insists on polishing your shoes to thank you. Everything seems to be very honest, until the gentleman asks to be paid for his performance!
Common scam in:Istanbul
An elderly lady approaches you and offers you a sprig of rosemary, claiming it's a gesture of friendship. She grabs your wrist and offers to predict your future. But then, as you guessed right, she wants to be paid for her performance. And if you refuse, she'll curse you in front of everyone — and that can be a little scary!
Common scam in:Madrid and New Delhi
A friendly-looking resident approaches you as you take a photo of your partner. The man offers to take your picture with your partner. At best, the man will then ask you for money for the great service he has just rendered to you. At worst, he'll run away with your camera or smartphone.
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A friendly man approaches you and “offers” you a CD of his music. He explains that you would be doing him a great favor if you brought his CD home to play with your friends. But when you accept his CD, he asks you for money. And if you refuse, he and his friends will raise their voices to intimidate you.
Common scam in:New York
You're on your way to a nightclub or a full moon party, and your taxi or tuk-tuk driver kindly offers you some drugs. And as if by chance, fake police officers stop you as soon as you accept the driver's proposal. Of course, these police officers offer you to pay a huge fine to avoid going to prison!
Common Scam:Koh Phangan Island in Thailand
Some taxi drivers take advantage of the fact that you don't know their city. They will deliberately take longer routes or routes with a high risk of traffic jams. Other drivers outright use tampered meters that increase the fare faster than normal.
Frequent scam:worldwide
To travel between cities in a country, many travelers are tempted by the inexpensive prices of night buses. Unfortunately, you risk paying much more than the ticket price. Dishonest people take advantage of the night to search luggage compartments and steal your valuables.
Common scam in:Bangkok
Taxi drivers, waiters and shopkeepers are familiar with this sleight of hand. They pretend to "accidentally" drop your change. Then, without you noticing, they cleverly replace your change with coins or notes of lesser value.
Common scam in:Asia
Rental cars are easily spotted. Therefore, they are an easy target for scammers in the country. They may deliberately puncture a tire to signal you to stop the car. Then, they kindly offer you to install the spare wheel, free of charge! Except while you're distracted, an accomplice searches the car to steal all your valuables.
Common scam in:Costa Rica
Overcrowded trains and subways are an easy target for pickpockets. They take advantage of the proximity of passengers to deftly pack your pockets and your bags.
Common scam in:Europe
After a long journey, you finally arrive at the hotel. The taxi driver kindly helps you get your suitcases out of the trunk. But he seems in a hurry to leave. He gets back into his taxi and sets off again at top speed! Why ? Because he didn't take all your luggage out of the taxi and left a small, easily forgettable one inside.
Common scam in:Las Vegas
A cashier pretends to be on the phone as you pay for your purchase. In reality, she is taking a picture of your bank card to reuse it without your knowledge.
Common scam in:Barcelona
After a purchase, the cashier gives you change. But she counts particularly slowly, even going so far as to take breaks! This is because she hopes that you will lose patience and accept your change without having counted it. The problem is that the account is way below what you were owed!
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A particularly friendly taxi driver informs you that the place you wanted to visit is closed. But he kindly offers to take you to another interesting place. On site, he introduces you to another friendly man who tells you how he buys diamonds and precious stones from local merchants to resell them at great profit abroad. His goal is to force you to buy his jewels, diamonds or carpets so that you can sell them for a profit once you return home.
Common scam in:Bangkok and New Delhi
A “doctor” pretending not to be on call approaches you and offers to sell you medical documents. He claims that with these documents you can easily scam your travel insurance and make a lot of money. Except that insurers know this scam well and will not reimburse you a cent!
Common scam in:New Delhi
Official-looking police officers approach you. They warn you that fake money is circulating and want to check your wallet. And as luck would have it, your wallet is much lighter when they return it to you! Fake police can also claim a fine after having "checked" your passport and visa.
Common scam in:Mexico City, Bogotá, Bucharest and Bangkok
You are in an endless queue to buy your ticket. A staff member, looking official, approaches you and offers to sell you a more expensive ticket, to avoid queuing. It's very tempting, except that the ticket in question is not valid!
Common scam in:Paris and London
You are in difficulty in front of an ATM or an ATM, which is displayed only in the language of the country. A friendly man, who speaks French, kindly offers to help you. Despite these benevolent appearances, he is surely a pickpocket! He tries to memorize your secret code to pocket you a little further. This type of scammer can also grab the tickets and run away.
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A salesman approaches you and insists on selling you a tourist map of the place. To highlight it, he unfolds the map before your eyes. In reality, he is trying to divert your attention while an accomplice pickpockets you!
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A beggar (typically an elderly or pregnant woman) begs. By dint of playing on your guilt, you end up putting your hand in your pocket to give him alms. Except that pickpockets, often accomplices, have now spotted the pocket where you put your wallet!
Frequent scam:worldwide
A man approaches you and offers you a massage, as you relax on the beach. Despite your refusals, he insists and offers you a small free session. But after laying his hands on you, he will harass you until you pay him, often at an excessive price.
Common scam in:Barbados and the Bahamas
You are traveling alone and a lovely woman approaches you. No doubt:she is flirting with you. You accept his invitation and spend the evening together in a club or in a bar. It's a set-up:at the end of the evening, you receive an exorbitant bill!
Common scam in:Athens
A pickpocket, posing as a benevolent local, warns you that he has just seen a tourist have his wallet or cell phone stolen. Instinctively, you check your pockets. The trick is played:now the pickpocket (or his accomplice) knows where you put your wallet and your laptop, to pick your pockets a little further. This type of scammers can also use fake pickpocketing warning signs.
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A man asks you to take a picture of him with his friends. You agree, but the camera doesn't work. And when you return the camera to him, he drops it. Now that the camera is broken, the man and his friends surround you to claim compensation, or take advantage of your inattention to pick your pockets!
Frequent scam:worldwide
A seemingly innocent student hears you speaking and asks if she can practice her French with you. Very quickly, she begins to tell you about the difficulties of her life and asks you for money. A variation is to invite you to his favorite cafe to thank you. But at the time of the little note (particularly salty), the student took to their heels!
Common scam in:Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an
You are seated in front of a table. A man approaches you and drops peanuts, presumably free. But as soon as you nibble on one, he harasses you until you pay for your peanuts!
Common scam in:Rio de Janeiro
A child, presumably poor, sends you a postcard and a pen in your hands. He wants you to help him write to his family. He goes into sordid detail about his precarious situation, hoping to make you feel guilty and drop a few coins.
Common scam in:Rome
Children, pretending to be deaf, ask you to sign a petition (after which they usually ask for a donation). But underneath the document they are handing you, their clever little hands are walking around picking your pockets!
Common scam at: Paris
A large group of Roma children surrounds you in the middle of the street. Children harass you until you give them money or something of value. They may also try to sell you newspapers, unfolding them right in front of your eyes to distract you while they pick your pockets!
Common scam in:Rome, Venice and Florence
Your taxi driver (he's part of the scam) informs you that your hotel is closed for renovations. Benevolent, he knows another hotel where you can stay—except that this hotel is a dump and overpriced. In the same way, these establishments copy the names of hotels frequented by tourists to try to deceive them. Once there, we try to convince them that they are at the right hotel and that the photos on the Internet are not real!
Frequent scam:everywhere in Europe
A usurper calls your room, posing as your hotel receptionist. He tells you that there is a registration problem and tries to get your credit card number. Many times these scammers call in the middle of the night, because you're less likely to go down to the front desk to see what's going on.
Frequent scam:worldwide
Two people, dressed like the other employees of your hotel, knock on your door to carry out a quality control of your room. While one of the people is talking to you to divert your attention, his accomplice is stealing your valuables!
Common scam:Barcelona and Madrid
This scam consists of slipping fake take-out menus under the doors of hotel rooms in the hope that you will order food on a night when you don't feel like going out to a restaurant. Except that you will never receive your food! And now that they have your credit card details, these scammers can quickly drain your account.
Common scam:United States
