Another famous East Asian tourist destination, Cambodia is usually on many backpackers to-do list due to the many picturesque sights, culture, and food it offers.
This influx of tourists, however, is also attracting many those who seek to take advantage of the industry. It is therefore wise to keep an eye out for many tourist scams prevalent in the country while in it to prevent falling prey to them. Produced below are a few of the scams that we have gathered from our community of backpackers.
1. Fake monks
You are bound to meet monks in orange or yellow robes asking for donations. These are not monks but con artists who put on religious garbs to take advantage of foreign travelers.
How to avoid – avoid advances from such fake monks and refuse any gifts or blessings that they might seek to bestow upon you. Genuine monks do not seek money or try to sell their wares.
2. Say no to drugs
Do not take up any offers of drugs as there are many accounts of tourists being offered drugs and then being threatened with jail time due to its possession.
How to avoid – say no to drugs and steer clear of those who offer them
3. Do not indulge the begging children
It’s a heartbreaking sight to see children on the street begging for donations. Do not however offer any money as these children are part of organized gangs.
Some might even ask for you to purchase some milk powder from a nearby shop so that they may take it to their younger sibling at home. The milk powder once received is then promptly returned to the shop owner who splits the profits with the child who lured the foreign traveler to the shop.
How to avoid – do not provide donations or any form of gifts to children you see begging on the streets. This will only encourage the gangs involved in organizing these.
4. Fake police
Con men dressed as police officers have been known to stop tourist in their tracks and ask for their passports to verify the legality of their stay. The same policeman however asks for a hefty fee to return the passport back to the owner.
How to avoid – do not carry your passport on your person. Carry a photocopy of it instead. We also recommend that you ask the policeman in question to accompany you to the local police station prior to handing over any documents.
5. The bike scam
As with Vietnam, the bike scam is where the owners of the bike rental agency have the bike that was rented out to foreigners stolen. The tourist is then asked for hefty financial compensation in return for his passport or important documents that are kept as security for the bike.
How to avoid – keep a close eye on your bike and invest in a lock of your own to secure the bike.
6. The rape scam
The rape scam is one where a local woman befriends a foreign man, wins his trust over a couple of days and then accuses him of raping her. Several local men who are supposedly her brother then join into the fray and ask for compensation for the ghastly act they accuse you of committing.
How to avoid – be wary of any local women who are unusually friendly
7. Stolen wallet
This is a scam perpetrated by a con artist who has been residing with you for some time and winning your trust as a fellow traveler prior to informing you how they have been robbed. The same con artist then proceeds to ask for financial help till he receives assistance from his embassy and promises to pay you back for your trouble.
How to avoid – decline to assist via financial means and offer to help him visit the embassy instead
8. Visa scam
If you are arriving in Thailand over a land border there might be con artists dressed as immigration officers who offer to expedite the visa process or ask for more documentation than that is necessary for a fee.
How to avoid – avoid such offers and only heed the advice given by the immigration officials at the immigration office.
9. Orphanages scam
There are many orphanages that ask for donations to help with the maintenance of the orphanages. These orphanages, however, are not legitimate, often renting children from low-income families to keep their facade.
How to avoid – make donations to orphanage that you know is legitimate after doing some research
10. The charming coin collector
Men who claim to be coin collectors will offer to exchange foreign currency to the local currency as they would like to add it to their collection of coins. The exchange rate that you will receive however is abysmal
How to avoid – say no to such offers or claim that you only possess the local currency.