‘That will be five Euros’: Common travel scams and how to avoid them

I was 18 and backpacking through Europe with one pair of shoes, a pocket full of dreams and starry-eyed wonder at the old cities, museums and monuments I was seeing on a meagre daily budget. After a night of pub crawling in Rome with backpackers from Australia and the UK, next on my list in the Italian city was the Colosseum.

What luck to bump into two men dressed as Roman soldiers just outside the ancient amphitheatre’s gates. Would I like a picture with them? Why yes. How convenient for a post on my Facebook wall.

We snapped away and as I turned off my camera, the stinger came: that will be €5 (about R101 at current exchange rates), thank you. Shock. Horror.

“If I pay you, I won’t be able to pay entry into the colosseum,” I pleaded.

They did not care. I refused to be swindled out of seeing a piece of Roman history and either deleted the picture or offered up my dinner money. The conclusion to their treachery eludes me but I was most unimpressed.

A slightly older and wiser me finds solace in the fact that I’m not the only one to have been duped before: tourist scams are rife the world over. An analysis carried out by travel insurance company InsureandGo has revealed some common tourist traps experienced by travellers. 

Combing through hundreds of warning posts by Reddit users detailing experiences with “hustlers” and being “harassed”, it appears the most common scam involves taxi drivers. Some taxi operators have been known for driving off with your luggage, lying about streets being closed to prolong cab rides, telling you the attraction you’d like to go to is closed and instead offering to take you elsewhere (which ends up costing a lot more money) or simply overcharging, especially if you admit to visiting a city for the first time.

Reddit users also reported being tricked out of money in restaurants with warnings of very high mandatory tips, meals delivered to tables without being ordered, overcharging for simple items or  stating menu prices per 100g instead of per portion.

As much as this is not true of every kind stranger you’ll encounter on your travels, you’ll need to be wary of those looking to take advantage of you. Some people have encountered those who offer unsolicited help or directions, only to demand payment, or have been invited out by a friendly local for a drink or meal at a bar or tea house only for them to disappear and leave them to foot a steep bill.

Other ploys involve offers of free gifts like bracelets or CDs handed out by street buskers (spoiler: they’re never free) and the offers of having your picture taken with someone in a tourist attraction who then demands money (stick to selfies).

Being aware of the ways in which people try to take advantage of travellers goes a long way in identifying similar situations on your own travels.

InsureandGo offers the following advice:

• Do your own research before travelling. It’s handy to know basic information like opening times and entrance fees for attractions you plan to visit. You can easily sift through restaurant reviews and acquaint yourself with basic prices for meals at restaurants and taxi fares.
• When hailing a taxi, opt for official operators in designated areas, agree on a fare before the journey starts and make sure the meter is working in meter-operated taxis. If you’re roaming or connected to Wi-Fi, it might be handy to check the route on your own device before to have a rough idea what the journey will look like.
• Be polite but firm and decline if approached by someone looking to stuff free gifts into your hand or wanting to lure you away from restaurants, bars or shops in main streets. The same applies to people who want to provide unsolicited help or advice or tour operators who aggressively try to sell you products. 
• Report stolen money or items or illegal activity to the police. Obtaining a police report within 24 hours of being robbed is especially important if you plan to file a travel insurance claim.
• A very basic but important tip: trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it most likely isn’t.