Unfortunately, tourists always remain a tasty morsel for swindlers of all stripes. This is partly because travelers do not know all the peculiarities of the country and the mentality, and partly because of the trust in the locals, who so generously agree to help you. Today in the article we will remind you of the popular methods of deception and fraud - do not get caught, otherwise you will lose the joy of the long-awaited opening of the borders!
Streets
Flowers
Whether you are walking or sitting in a restaurant on the sidewalk, an elegant flower girl or a courteous seller comes up to you with a basket of beautiful roses / chrysanthemums / asters (underline the required). Remember that such flowers are always not free, and the price tag for an unfortunate rose can be inflated 10 times.
Decorations
A pseudo-gold ring or a bracelet may be thrown at your feet, and then run up and with a sympathetic exclamation stick: “Oh, what a beautiful ring someone has lost! Are you not? Surely not you? Maybe then buy such a wonderful find from me? " In the meantime, you discourage a hasty purchase, your pockets are rapidly being emptied.
Lost wallet
A similar scheme, only now, together with jewelery, under your feet is someone's "lost" wallet. While you are looking around, looking for the owner, your wallet may already be snatched away. Another option is when the "owner" of the wallet is announced, first thanks you, and then starts to accuse you: they say, I had much more money here, there were euros and dollars, and the world's first printed bitcoins were lying around, and you pulled everything out, you bastard such!
Street magicians and weak games
Also a simulator for attentiveness and vigilance: while there is a street performance (by the way, crowds of onlookers and spectators at them are often fake), scammers take out your wallets and phones.
Awkward passers-by
At a busy intersection, someone poured coffee over you: of course, the person begins to apologize violently, tries to fix the trouble, shake you off and clean the stain - and at the same time "clean" you of your wallet, phone, rings and watch.
Leisurely taxi drivers
A way as old as the world: ride a tourist who does not know the city on the longest and most congested route in order to wind up the counter to the maximum. However, it is easy to avoid: order a taxi in official applications or services, use a taxi from the hotel, follow the route through online maps.
Shops and cafes
Quick cashier
If your cashier is trying to do a lot of things at the same time, literally juggling with goods, money and credit cards, be very careful: he can pick up your bills and claim that he did not take anything, he can quickly put your credit card away or even pass it through a scanner. which will copy her data.
Slow cashier (like in Zootopia, yeah)
The reverse story is when the seller endlessly digs, counting and rechecking your change. The calculation here is simple: the buyer (especially if the amount is small) will spit, give up and leave, leaving change to the seller for tea.
Linden tickets for events, attractions, etc.
If you go somewhere where you need to buy tickets, find out in advance how they look, how much they cost and where they are sold. In a long line at some Colosseum, there are sure to be cunning guys who will offer you to quickly get a ticket (also at a discount, what luck!) - only the ticket will be canceled at the exit.
Locals
Incredible courtesy and helpfulness
It is better not to ask the locals where to find an ATM: go to the nearest bank branch for details or look at the online map. Otherwise, hospitable locals will happily take you to the nearest ATM, and there they will just as happily spy on your PIN code or even steal your card (if the “most convenient” ATM is located somewhere in a dark abandoned alley).
Sellers of guidebooks, maps, brochures
They are helped by colorful printing in their hands, which is so easy to expand widely, covering up the cleaning of the tourist's pockets - all the same, he will follow the story and pictures so closely that he will not notice anything.
Beggars with children
The traditional way for the whole world to extort money from you. While you are serving your pitiful coin, you can be tracked down and robbed by pickpockets. Remember: in 99% of cases, you are not feeding poor and unfortunate beggars, but a real street mafia. At best, beggars are in cahoots with them and actually live happily ever after, at worst - they are literally kept in slavery, expelled to earn money on the street, and you pay for this slavery.
Victims of robbery
If you are stopped on the street and begin to cry that in the same place they were literally just robbed, in no case start rummaging in your bag / slapping your pockets, checking your own values. Thus, you will only show scammers where these very values are worth looking for first of all.
