No matter where you travel, the locals are always hunting for gullible visitors – whether foreign or domestic. However, if we compare both the segments, it is the outsiders that are most often preyed upon. Outsmarting the locals is difficult, while after the act has been done, it spoils the entire journey.
Here are some of the most common travel scams that you should know about your next trip.
The age-old technique – Broken Taxi Meter
Broken taxi meters are an age-old technique that is used by auto drivers all across the globe. However, the stunt is common in Central America. The taxi drivers pull up the trick by saying that the meter is broken and you could visit the destination in a couple of dollars. The result? You end up paying a lot more than expected and sometimes even in hundreds of dollars.
The Krabi tour packages vendor recommends negotiating the price beforehand or forces the driver to switch on the meter. If things do not go on in your favor, move on to the next taxi. Not everyone is here to cheat you.
Closed or Overbooked Hotels
This is another scam pulled out from the hat of taxi drivers. If you are new in the city and have no reservation or have reserved without knowing the ins and outs of it, then most likely, you are about to have preyed. Generally, the taxi drivers will talk trash about the hotel and would suggest canceling the reservation for a hotel of their choice. The new hotel is “the best in the town,” and there would be a spark in the price point.
The auto drivers have commissions from the hotel and hence should be avoided at all costs. In our experience, book your hotels in advance by doing standard research on the web. If you haven’t, ask a local and stay firm no matter what. This will save you hundreds of dollars while having a premium experience.
Avoid Free Things
This trick works specifically for women who are on a shopping spree. In most cases, someone approaches, have a delightful conversation, and hand over something like the Rosemary or a bracelet. This is one of the biggest scams. When you have the bracelet or the Rosemary, he or she may price it at an exorbitant rate, and on denying may even create a scene.
The solution? Avoid people coming close to you and place something on you. On the other hand, if it is something that excites you, then go for it. Else don’t get too intimate with them as suggested by the guides in Karbi tour packages.
Spills On Your Clothing
It is a common phenomenon in Karbi that you come across a pigeon or a fast-food vendor spoils your dress with spills. Most often, a stranger would approach you and try to clean the evident mess. However, it acts as such. The guy helping you out might be plucking your money and other essentials, and hence strangers shouldn’t be allowed to come near.
The experts suggest one single piece of advice – “Beware of the strangers.” A stranger may turn out to be evil and hence should not be ignored at all costs. One can move to the washbasin and clean the jacket in the example without the other’s help.
Fake Police Officers
One of the common scams that happen in major cities in the fake police drama. The plot goes as such.
Someone from the team of frauds approaches you with the heroine and any other sort of drug. Two police officers with shiny badges approach and pretend to arrest you for drugs. On constant insisting, they ask for a passport and wallet. This is where they found the opportunity. Now they would find ways to distance themselves from you and flee away with all the cash.
However, no matter what condition, one should never hand over the passport. Furthermore, cross-check with the local police station about the authenticity of the officers. To add on top of it, ask them to accompany you to the hotel where you have missed your passport. If the symptoms are right, then you are dealing with real cops and hence be cautious all the time.
Your Next Door Friendly ATM Helper
A lot many times, someone at the ATM center approaches you with a proposal to help. At first, you might think that the intentions are valid and hence trust them with your card. This is simply a strict NO. What they are trying to achieve is replicating your work with a card skimmer. They also want the PIN as well, and hence one must insert the PIN by avoiding it at all cost.
Child Beggars or Injured Individuals
Normally hard of hearing, dazzle, or pregnant, once in a while joined by a “partner,” hobos will approach you for cash. Ladies with infants are normal (they probably won’t be theirs). Youngsters are likewise regularly utilized by asking posses to gather cash. Why? Since it’s hard for a great many people to deny the old, harmed, or youthful. Here and there, an assistant close by is simply watching to see where you keep your wallet so they can pickpocket you later.
Concluding Remark
Traveling nations, despite being tiring, is an awesome job. You get to meet new people and have fun, love, and get deeper meanings of life. However, one has to be extra cautious as well, as the loots are in constant search for prey, and you might end up being one.
Read More on another Topics Khatrimaza and Khatrimazafull.
