Comments on: Common travel scams while on holiday http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:52:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bob http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/#comment-160811 Bob Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:51:10 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5248#comment-160811 You may want to consider opening a whole new chapter for "india scams." The list is long, but includes: - Scammers selling fake gems to tourists in Jaipur, promising a big payday when the gems are re-sold in the US (or wherever). Gems are of course fake. (Also see a similar scam in Bangkok) - Pretty much anything to do with "giving your credit card number to someone you met on the street." - The famous "shit on shoes" scam in Mumbai: Scammer flicks some pigeon droppings on your shoes while you're not looking, then points it out and takes you to his shoe-shining buddy to clean it off. - Rickshaw drivers who agree on a fare to go from point A to point B, then upon arrival claim that the fare was per person. I could go on for a very long time with the India list. Most of these are small scams that are more annoying than harmful, but anything to do with giving out your credit card number to someone you met on the street can lead to major damage. You may want to consider opening a whole new chapter for “india scams.” The list is long, but includes:
- Scammers selling fake gems to tourists in Jaipur, promising a big payday when the gems are re-sold in the US (or wherever). Gems are of course fake. (Also see a similar scam in Bangkok)
- Pretty much anything to do with “giving your credit card number to someone you met on the street.”
- The famous “shit on shoes” scam in Mumbai: Scammer flicks some pigeon droppings on your shoes while you’re not looking, then points it out and takes you to his shoe-shining buddy to clean it off.
- Rickshaw drivers who agree on a fare to go from point A to point B, then upon arrival claim that the fare was per person.

I could go on for a very long time with the India list. Most of these are small scams that are more annoying than harmful, but anything to do with giving out your credit card number to someone you met on the street can lead to major damage.

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]]> By: kenoath http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/#comment-157650 kenoath Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:26:50 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5248#comment-157650 A taxi driver tried to scam us in Adelaide, South Australia once. We were told a taxi fare from the hotel to the airport would be about A$8, when we got there we got the old 'forgot to turn the meter on' trick and he asked for A$18. We stood our ground, stayed in the taxi until he said OK, A$10. The missus got the bags out of the boot and as I got out I threw him A$5. By that time he was being told by security to move his cab so he had to head off. And a trick I have used a few times in taxis, when I get in a cab I take a photo of the drivers ID with my mobile phone. When they ask why I tell them that me and the missus are a bit forgetful and if we leave something behind in the cab at least when we go to the police we can tell them the cab number and driver ID. It is always an uneventful trip and the meter is always on and we get to where we are going in a straight line! A taxi driver tried to scam us in Adelaide, South Australia once. We were told a taxi fare from the hotel to the airport would be about A$8, when we got there we got the old ‘forgot to turn the meter on’ trick and he asked for A$18. We stood our ground, stayed in the taxi until he said OK, A$10. The missus got the bags out of the boot and as I got out I threw him A$5. By that time he was being told by security to move his cab so he had to head off. And a trick I have used a few times in taxis, when I get in a cab I take a photo of the drivers ID with my mobile phone. When they ask why I tell them that me and the missus are a bit forgetful and if we leave something behind in the cab at least when we go to the police we can tell them the cab number and driver ID. It is always an uneventful trip and the meter is always on and we get to where we are going in a straight line!

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]]> By: Heather http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/#comment-157491 Heather Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:29:00 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5248#comment-157491 My sister told me that there were some scam-meisters on the train from Rome to Florence. First, when they were trying to work out how to buy tickets from the automatic machine, a lady came up and was very friendly and helpful and showed them how to use it but then asked for a tip. On the train itself, a lady told them that they had to put their cases on a certain place in the luggage rack and that it was forbidden to put them in another, but some police appeared on the platform and that lady immediately disappeared. My sister told me that there were some scam-meisters on the train from Rome to Florence. First, when they were trying to work out how to buy tickets from the automatic machine, a lady came up and was very friendly and helpful and showed them how to use it but then asked for a tip.

On the train itself, a lady told them that they had to put their cases on a certain place in the luggage rack and that it was forbidden to put them in another, but some police appeared on the platform and that lady immediately disappeared.

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]]> By: Pingback - Traveling with MJ http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/#comment-157483 Pingback - Traveling with MJ Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:09:05 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5248#comment-157483 [...] Travel Rants lists some of the great and not-so-great scams that travelers may encounter.  Don’t get taken in. [...] [...] Travel Rants lists some of the great and not-so-great scams that travelers may encounter.  Don’t get taken in. [...]

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]]> By: Darren Cronian http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/12/06/common-holiday-scams-travels/#comment-157236 Darren Cronian Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:04:17 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=5248#comment-157236 @ Dom Were you mad?? £40 crikey. That's a rip-off even at copycat standards. i bought a watch it was a 'RALOX' watch, time went backwards, but it only cost me a few £s. @ Dom

Were you mad?? £40 crikey. That’s a rip-off even at copycat standards. i bought a watch it was a ‘RALOX’ watch, time went backwards, but it only cost me a few £s.

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