Scams

Attraction Closed

You’re on your way to a specific attraction (either on foot or in a tuktuk) and on route informed by a friendly local or your driver that the attraction you’d like to visit is closed for the day because of a religious holiday or something similar. Just as quick they’ll offer to take you to a different attraction/shop where they’ll pressure you into purchasing something or where you have to pay entry (where your original attraction was probably free). You should never take the word of anyone who tells you something is closed because of a religious holiday (especially in Thailand), check it out for yourself. If your attraction is actually closed at least you’ll actually know for sure.

Beggars

You’ll find beggars everywhere you go, whether its someone with an injury, disability, an old person, a pregnant woman, a women with a baby, or children. They play on your conscience and on the goodness of humans. Want they want is your money. Whatever money you give them might not even being going into their pockets. These people can often be fronts for shady background characters collecting whatever money they receive. A lot of beggars will reject food, simply because they want money, they don’t need food. Women usually say they need money to buy their baby food. If you don’t give her money she might suggest she lead you to a shop to buy her food. As soon as you leave she’ll sell the food back to the shop and take her cut. So why do they need money? Maybe it’s to buy alcohol, drugs, or maybe a new phone? Or maybe is just a lazy way to make a living. You often see young kids in touristy areas walking up and down the street begging for money, or selling cheap items like bracelets. What you don’t usually see it a shady character in the background keeping an eye on them and taking what cash they make at intervals. That my friend is child exploitation. It’s pretty much impossible to tell who is an honest beggar who is making a dishonest living. My policy is to NEVER give money to beggars; I’m a visitor in their country, I know nothing about the situation, any money I give is unsustainable and it might not even go to them. It’s better to leave charity to the local population who know whats going on. And often you see that, locals will support those who need it. There is no reason a tourist on holiday should be giving a cent. Just think about it; if you gave money to every single person who asked, you couldn’t afford to travel. You might as well sit at home and give all your money away to charity. By travelling you have already made that choice and there’s nothing wrong with that. See the world and report what you see. The way you can support beggars is by giving them food and clothing.

Flirtatious Local Women

This one is for the guys: You’re minding your own business walking down the street and a beautiful young local woman begins flirting with you and invites you to a bar or club for a drink. You decide to take her up on the offer. At the end of a big night of drinking your beautiful young woman disappears leaving you with a huge overpriced bill. The bar staff don’t care who drank what, you’re paying for it, and the bouncers wont give you any other option. Even worse you could have your drink spiked and while you’re drugged up and out of it have your wallet and phone stolen. Use you head, don’t use a bar tab, pay for your drinks as you go, protect your drink, and keep your wits about you.

Fake Charities

You’re walking along and are approached by a woman professing to be from some sort of charity, often showing you a bad photocopy of an original, or else a badly typed out notice, or ever a hand written one. She tells you its a charity for sick kids, orphans, people with disabilities, or some other garbage. They’ll want you to put your name down on a clip-board and hand over some money for said charity. They’ll show you supposed donations made by your countrymen of $20/$50 a piece. If you say you don’t want to donate anything she’ll try to guilt/shame you by telling you how heartless you are towards these poor, sick, disabled, orphan kids. Obviously this is a unsolicited money making operation. My general policy is telling such unscrupulous people that I only make charitable donations through official websites.

The Shoeshiner

You’re walking peacefully along and stop to take a photo. Your feel something touching your shoe and look down and see a man shining your shoe. You try to tell him to stop but he cuts you off and tries to make conversation, all while working fast. You try to take a step back and he’s on your over shoe in a single movement. He demands payment for shining your shoes. You could just move on, but come on these guys are funny, you could just pretend to be a statue and see what they do!

The Dashing Photographer

You’re trying to take a group photo when a friendly passerby offers to take the photo for you. While everyone is posing for the photo, he turns and runs off with your phone/camera. Don’t trust random people with your possessions. If you’re going to hand your phone/camera over ask someone with a partner or at least ask someone you can out run!

Directions Please!

Someone approaches you with a big map and asks for directions. While you’re busy trying to help them, their buddy is taking off with your bag. Always be mindful of your possessions, don’t take your eyes of them for a second.