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Questions tagged [scams]

Tricks and deceits for defrauding travellers of money or valuables, etc.

Confidence trick.

141 questions
122
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9 answers

How to escape hip-hop CD giveaway scam in New York City?

Here is a situation I encountered multiple times in New York City streets, lately. Usually at a sidewalk corner where people are likely to wait for the pedestrian crossing "walk" signal, a gang of two, three, four people are present. One of them…
DavGin
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114
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9 answers

What's the deal with the "string people" in central Paris?

I've taken my fiancée to Paris twice - first for our 1st anniversary, and again for our 4th - and both times we had troubles with guys bothering us around the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre. They hang around the front entrance to the park and pester…
Polynomial
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76
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1 answer

My online friend is asking for money in order to visit my home country. Is this a legit request or a scam?

On Travel.SE we often see questions about a person (usually a love interest) asking for money to pay for airfare, visas, permits and other expenses. For example Visitor requesting a cash advance to purchase airfare in-country. Legitimate or scam? A…
JonathanReez
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6 answers

How to get rid of the men who ask for money in Milan?

The men are mostly located in Duomo Square (Piazza del Duomo). They try to tie something to tourists' wrists and ask for money. I have fallen out with them many times. Also my friends who visit Milan, encounter the same issue. For the Milan case,…
user63373
70
votes
3 answers

Job interview in London requires me to wire money to the travel agent. Is this a scam?

I was told that I can have a visitor visa to UK, is this legitimate? I have received an invitation letter and a job offer, and I was contacted by the appointed travel agent to prepare all related documents for the visit such as flight tickets,…
O.Mustafa
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61
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5 answers

Can Customs make me go back to return my electronic equipment or is it a scam?

My fiance just returned home from Nigeria and he has been detained 4 days at Reagan International airport because he returned with electronic sonar hardware he used for his job. Customs has detained him at Reagan International Airport because he…
Dianne Cruey
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61
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9 answers

While on vacation my taxi took a longer route, possibly to scam me out of money. How can I deal with this?

I am on vacation and I have realized that some people here in Turkey are trying their best to get the money out of my pocket. I have already had a situation where after a folklore show I decided to take a taxi to my hotel because Istanbul is not a…
ΦXocę 웃 Пepeúpa ツ
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3 answers

Why do people in the Marrakech Medina say "That way is closed"?

I just got back from a Morocco trip and now have a massive doubt with respect to what it looks like a common behaviour in the Medina (old city). Whenever we wandered around off the souks and main streets, we were immediately followed, harassed even,…
Arehandoro
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3 answers

Payment instructions allegedly from HomeAway look fishy to me

I'm in the process of setting up a long-term lease agreement for an apartment in my hometown with a landlord which lives abroad. The landlord suggested to use a middleman called HomeAway so that the landlord would not have to travel to my country…
Feuermurmel
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52
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5 answers

How can I tell if this Polish villa for rent is a scam?

My in-laws booked a villa in Poland for the family vacation, and I found out too late they already paid half of the price by a bank transfer. Apart from the bank transfer itself I didn't find any red flags but nothing strongly supportive of the…
buzjwa
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49
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1 answer

Is it possible to insist on having your ID checked at the police station, not in the street in Austria?

I am a non-EU citizen and I understand that I could be stopped in Austria and asked for my passport (and visa). Moreover, as far as I know, there are police officers in Austria dressed in civilian clothing. At the same time, searching the web…
alisianoi
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2 answers

Will getting a refund from an ESTA scam site cause me to be blacklisted from the US?

A colleague accidentally purchased a US ESTA from a scam site that I won't dignify with a link, charging him $31. (The official site charges just $14.) Like most scam sites, the site actually did get him an ESTA, they just took a fat cut. He'd…
lambshaanxy
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2 answers

How does the taxi scam work at Luohu station in Shenzhen?

The Luohu station in Shenzhen has a taxi area where people queue to get their taxi: While queuing there are a few taxi drivers parked nearby who try to get customers from the queue. They claim that their taxi is metered too. Since locals typically…
Franck Dernoncourt
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43
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8 answers

What to do when a taxi driver uses the meter but at the end of the ride clears the meter and pretends we had agreed on some higher price for the ride?

I took a taxi in Bangkok, the driver used the meter, but at the end of the ride the driver cleared the meter (was 55 THB) and pretended that we had agreed on some higher price (was 100 THB) for the ride. Aside from videotapping the driver clearing…
Franck Dernoncourt
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35
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3 answers

How to deal with the fake police scam in Spain?

I have read so many internet articles about safety in Spain, and the fake police scam is one of the most mentioned problems. Most of those reported cases are that the victims are surrounded by group of undercover 'police', accusing you of having…
RAY
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