11 Devious Travel Scams from around the World and Tricks to Avoid Them Here’s a bunch of scams that con artists will use to fleece you when you’re travelling abroad. Although some of these are specific to countries, I’ve decided not to point fingers and instead just give our readers what they need to know. M.O – Modus Operandi/How they operate. 1. The Flirty Fox 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: An attractive woman will approach a solo male traveler and begin to flirt, eventually leading him to a bar or club. However, the catch is that she already has an agreement with the bar, and they will charge you an extortionate amount by the end of the night. Either that, or the consequences could be much much worse. Trick: Always keep an arms distance from attractive strangers, and if you do end up striking a conversation, always go to a familiar/touristy place and never leave your drink unattended. 2. The Helpful Pickpocket M.O: Pickpockets posing as helpful locals will warn you about ‘pickpockets’ close by and tell you how they just saw someone get pickpocketed. They will ask you to check if you still have your valuables, but they are actually probing where you keep them so they can steal them later. Another approach they could use is if they see you struggling to figure out a foreign ATM machine. Trick: Keep your valuables safely at the hotel and always try to travel with minimum cash on you. Cards should be kept safely where only you can access them. Try keeping your wallet in your front pocket. 3. The Friendly Flowerman 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: A man will approach a tourist standing with a spouse/girlfriend, and offer her a rose. Once accepted, he will ask for an exorbitant amount of money for it and refuse to take the flower back. He will even go as far as to shame you for being cheap if you refuse. Trick: Straight out refuse the man, and surprise your girlfriend a little later with something better! 4. The Lost Taxi Driver M.O: Some taxi drivers will try to take advantage that you’re ‘touristy’ looking and assume you’re unfamiliar with the area. They will ask a few questions to check if you know and if you don’t they’ll purposely take longer routes, get stuck in traffic and drive intentionally slower. Some drivers will even use rigged meters to jack up the fare. Trick: Try and map/plan out your day so you know the best routes and what landmarks you will be passing along the way. Alternatively, you can ask other taxi drivers if you’re on the right track. Related Articles Grand-Prismatic-Hot-Spring,-USA Travel in Technicolor: These are 14 of the world’s most colorful places. Guiddoo These 14 Incredible Places Showcase our Amazing and Colorful World baubax-travel-jacket--nypost 12 Incredible Travel Accessories that will redefine the way you travel.Guiddoo 12 Incredible Travel Accessories That Will Redefine The Way You Travel driving laws around the world 7 Weird Driving Laws around the World 5. The Leisurely Cashier 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: At a shop, the cashier will intentionally scan items slower and take forever to count your change. But the amount of change they are counting is actually less than you’re owed and the trick is to force you to get annoyed and accept whatever he offers, or simply forget the change and walk out. Another approach used by rogue cashiers is to pretend to be on the phone, while they photograph your card details on the sly. Trick: Always keep some change handy, and when using a card, always insist on handling it yourself. 6. The Manic Masseuse 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: When you’re relaxing on the beach, a man will approach you offering a free massage. If you refuse, he will offer you a free sample massage, however if you accept, he’ll just hang around and pester you for a ridiculous amount. Trick: Avoid conversations with such strangers and plug your earphones in or pretend to read something till they go away. 7. The Beggar/Tragic Tale spinner M.O: A distraught beggar or woman will come up to you and beg and plead for some money, spinning a tale of epic tragic proportions. When you give in, she will appear grateful, but a pickpocket will see where you keep your wallet and pick it later. Trick: If something like this happens, insist that you have to leave immediately and pretend to not understand, say something like ‘I will go find the police, so they can help you.’ The word police should scare them out of this act. 8. The Conniving Map Salesman 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: People will come by and offer to sell you a map. Once they unfold the map in your face and distract you, his accomplices will get to work and pickpocket you. Trick: Avoid this type because they usually roam in packs, harassing people who look like tourists. 9. The Fake Policemen 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: People looking uniformed and official will approach you, pretending to warn you about fake currency being circulated and they need to check your wallet. When they return it, some cash will be missing. Alternatively, they can also pretend to check your travel documents and insist that something is wrong, demanding a fine. Trick: Usually, police don’t approach people at all, unless they look suspicious. With that in mind, tell the policemen that you will gladly accompany them to the local police station to sort out the matter, or you would like to speak to your embassy first. 10. The Devious Doctor 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: A man pretending to be a doctor will offer to sell you fake prescriptions, doctor bills and such so you can claim compensation on your travel insurance, for a ‘small’ fee. However insurance companies have caught up with this scam and you fee will be for naught. Trick: In this situation, its best to pretend not to understand what he’s saying and make a quick exit. 11. The Shrewd Shoe Shiner 12 travel scams guiddoo M.O: A man will drop his shoe brush in front of you, and if you pick it up for him, he will offer to thank you by shining your shoes. But upon conclusion of this generous service, he will demand money for it. Trick: Politely decline the shoe shining offer, but if you’re travelling wearing something comfortable, you’ll probably wearing shoes that don’t need shining. These are just some of the scams that rogues run on travelers as well as day to day folks, so keep an eye out for these seemingly charming, but up to no good deviants. Travelling is a fun, fulfilling activity and you don’t want your holiday ruined by one of these travel scams. Always be alert and pass the good word along. Do you have any interesting stories about scams that have been attempted on you? If so share your stories in the comments and warn our readers and a fellow traveler.