Scams

Top 10 tourist scams to watch out for when in Myanmar

Myanmar is a country of ancient temples, untouched beauty, interesting cuisine, friendly people and most importantly, cheap beer! It as with its neighboring countries is also very budget-friendly and draws many backpackers from around the world who trek across it for a few weeks on average. This increase in the number of foreigners, however, is also drawing con men who seek to profit from this out into the open.

It is to ensure that you do not fall prey to any such scam that we at Travset have created this list of the most common scams occurring in Myanmar.

1. The friendship tour

Locals have been known to approach foreigners and win their trust before offering a tour of the best the neighborhood has to offer. This tour offered for free however isn’t really free as the places the tourist will be taken to will have them purchasing cheap trinkets at exorbitant prices using high-pressure sales tactics.

The friendly local who offered the said free tour receives a commission off of your purchases.

How to avoid- be cautious of those who appear too friendly and decline offers that seem too good to be true.

2. The shoe guardians

Myanmar is home to a large number of temples and taking your footwear is requisite to enter. Locals know of this and offer to look after the shoes of foreigners whilst they are gone for a certain price. The price asked for however might be a little higher than initially expected!

How to avoid- agree on the price beforehand.

3. Pickpockets

Myanmar as with any country is home to a few unscrupulous individuals who look to earn money off picking the pockets of foreigners. These pickpockets are highly skilled and operate in pairs, with one distracting the victim whilst the other does the picking.

How to avoid- take a look at a guide to steering clear off of pickpockets.

4. The fake tickets

A majority of the temples do not require visitors to obtain tickets for entry. Some con men, however, take advantage of the foreigner’s lack of knowledge and attempt to sell tickets for such locations at reasonable prices.

How to avoid- do your research prior to visiting any temple. Advice from those who visited such places prior to you is always valuable.

5. Snatch theft

Similar to pickpockets, Myanmar also has those who have been known to snatch the valuables off of tourists whilst they are distracted.

How to avoid- keep a careful eye on your valuables, do not be flashy and take only what is necessary for areas that are famed for instances of mugging and/or snatching.

6. Overcharging taxis

As with other tourist destinations, some taxi drivers in Myanmar have been known to utilize various tricks to charge higher fares from those who are unfamiliar with the country. A few common tricks include asking for an exorbitant flat rate before the ride, rigging the meter and/or taking routes that are longer than necessary.

How to avoid- head over to blog post on how to stay ahead of the crooked taxis.

7. Fake gemstones

Myanmar is famous for its gemstones and has the same scam where con men attempt to pass off fake gems as authentic ones to tourists.

How to avoid- if the gemstones you are offered are too good to be true, then it probably is.

We recommend purchasing valuables such as gemstones from authentic authorized sellers.

8. Crooked money changers

Money changers who claim to offer great exchange rates are actually con men who offer tourists with bad exchange rates, counterfeit notes or use sleight of hands to give less money.

How to avoid- steer clear of street money exchangers and use authorized money changers such as banks.

9. Coin collectors

Some con men claiming to be coin or note collectors have been known to approach tourists, win their trust and ask for coins from their local countries in order to complete the so-called coin/note collection. The exchange rate at which they offer to change the money, however, is only advantageous for them. Some might even try to pass off counterfeit notes as good ones!

How to avoid- steer clear of locals who appear to be too friendly. Myanmar is a conservative country and its people are not often bold to approach tourists unless there is ulterior move as with con men.

10. Restaurants with no prices listed

Reports of tourists dining at a restaurant dining with no menus and being presented with an exorbitant bill are not unheard of in Myanmar.

Another variation of this is where the serve quotes low prices for the food and then produces a large bill which he says is on account of the extras consumed by the tourists.

How to avoid- do some research on reputable places to dine in. Steer clear of places where a menu or the prices of the food is not displayed.