Scams

Top 11 tourist scams to watch out for when in India

Long been a place of fascination for travelers all over the world, India truly is a magical place.

It is this fascination with India’s culture, history, food and its people that draws millions of travelers to it every year. This however also draws those who seek to profit from these tourists, often in very dubious means. It is to prevent you from being an unwilling participant from such scams that we at Travset have compiled a list of the most common scams perpetrated on tourists visiting India.

1. The taxi scam

A scam that is common to many tourist hotspots around the world, the taxi scam is where taxi drivers quote low prices, take longer than unnecessary routes and overcharge unsuspecting travelers.

How to avoid – haggle for a price and insist that it stays constant prior to setting off. Ensure that the taxi driver understands that you have google maps on your phone and will be aware of any changes in the route.

2. Destination does not exist or is closed

There will be some who try to convince you that the hotel, restaurant or tourist attraction that you wanted to visit is closed or does not exist in the hopes of recommending places where they would get a commission off of bringing a new customer.

How to avoid – do your research and ask many locals for information about your destination prior to setting off. Not everyone is unscrupulous.

3. Holy men with holy bracelets

Be aware of holy men garbed in various religious attire who will try to bless you with their holy bracelets. These are not free.

Another trick that is quite popular is conducting various religious ceremonies to rain blessings down on travelers. These blessings, however, turn out to be quite expensive at the end.

How to avoid- keep your hands firmly to your side in the presence of holy men in tourist hot spots and firmly reject any blessings they might seek to give you.

4. The fake money scam

Some traders will return the Rs. 2000 you gave them as its fake, while it was them that switched your perfectly valid note with a fake one.

How to avoid- obtain notes from your bank to ensure they are legitimate. When paying for purchases use notes with small denominations

5. Paying for pictures

Don’t expect to take pictures near elephants or cows for free. The owner will come running asking for exorbitant payments.

How to avoid- look for the owner and decide on a price prior to any pictures

6. Beggars and homeless asking for donations

You will encounter dozens of beggars and homeless individuals asking for money. Most of these individuals are children who are part of organized gangs and will only be encouraged to continue the same if you do decide to hand money over.

Another popular scam is where children will ask you to purchase pens for their education or milk powder to feed their infant brothers and sisters back home. Then they direct sympathetic tourists to shops where they will sell the goods back to after your purchase.

How to avoid – as heart-wrenching these experiences are, it’s wise to not make any donations as it will only encourage and deepen the issues.

7. Food and drink tampering

Some offer food and drinks to weary foreign travelers on public transport. These foods or drinks, however, might be tampered with or laced with drugs to put you to sleep so that all your valuables can be stolen.

How to avoid – reject drinks or food from strangers and only consume those that you have made or purchased

8. Fake tourist agents and agencies

There will be many who will be willing to take you to a tourist agency which will arrange a great itinerary to see the best India has to offer. The promised tour, however, will not materialize as the tourist agency you paid for is one that is illegitimate.

How to avoid- do your research and establish links to legitimate travel agencies with great reviews.

9. Sim card scam

Wi-fi in India is notoriously spotty and a sim card is essential to connect to the internet. Getting a sim card however can be a tricky affair as there is a certain amount of paperwork that is involved. Due to this, there will be many who will offer to help you for a fee that is exorbitant.

How to avoid- we recommend paying a visit to the official stores of one of India’s cellular network providers to receive information on the type of documents that are required.

10. Gemstone scam

There will be those who try to tempt you into purchasing cheap locally sourced gemstones that you can sell for vast sums back home. These gemstones will turn out to made of glass or other synthetic material.

How to avoid – do not purchase

11. Pickpockets

India, as with many tourist hotspots has its fair share of pickpockets waiting for a chance to get at your wallet.

How to avoid – keep your money and valuables very close to you at all times. Invest in a money belt if need be.