Common money scams in India, and what they cost you

The oldest and most universal one: a taxi or auto-rickshaw driver refuses the meter (it is broken), quotes a flat fare 3 to 5 times the real price, takes a long route, or stops at commission shops on the way. It is worst at airports, railway stations and tourist sites. In Delhi, a metered ride from T3 airport to Connaught Place is roughly 350 to 500 rupees, while a tout may quote 1,200 to 1,800.

The clean fix is Uber or Ola, which show a fixed price up front, track the route and take digital payment, which has effectively ended the classic taxi scam. At airports use the official prepaid taxi counter (in Delhi, run by the Traffic Police, with fixed printed rates), and never accept a Sir, taxi tout inside the terminal. If you do take a metered auto, confirm the meter is running, keep small change, and research the rough fare first. The full picture is in the India taxis and apps guide.

This is the one to know, and it operates mostly in Delhi near the New Delhi Railway Station and Paharganj. On the way to your booking, the driver tells you your hotel is closed for renovation, full, flooded, or does not exist, and helpfully knows a better place, which pays him a commission. It is almost never true.

The defense: call your hotel directly before or during the ride, check its location on Google Maps, and insist on being taken to your booking. A useful line is that you have already paid in advance, which removes the driver's incentive. The same trick appears with a restaurant is closed version that steers you to a place charging many times a fair price.

The costliest trap is the gem or carpet export scam: a friendly local or shop steers you toward buying export-quality gems or textiles to resell at home for a profit. The goods are overpriced or worthless and the resale market does not exist. Treat any holiday purchase as a purchase, never an investment, and ignore anyone offering a scheme.

Watch too for fake tourist offices, private shops with signs like Official Tourism Office or Government Approved that sell overpriced tours and tickets, and for fake guides and ticket sellers outside monuments and fake ticket websites. Buy monument tickets only at the official counter or a genuine site, book tours through a reputable operator, and if you want a guide, arrange a licensed one in advance.

Around temples you may meet a priest or guide who offers a ritual, ties a bracelet or thread on your wrist, or applies a mark on your forehead as a blessing, then demands a large donation. Blessings are part of the experience, but you can decline before anything is tied or applied, and give only a small amount you are comfortable with. Aggressive donation demands at religious sites are common, and you are free to say no.

For money, change cash only at banks or official counters, and ignore anyone offering a better rate or no commission, a counterfeit risk. At the ATM or card machine, choose rupees, not your home currency. A note on paying: UPI, India's instant payment system, opened to visitors from many countries in 2026, but a no-foreign-fee card and some cash remain the simplest for most tourists.

The reassuring part is that these are predictable patterns, not random misfortune, so knowing them defuses most of the risk. The short list: Uber or Ola or a prepaid counter, call your hotel if a driver says it is closed, buy tickets officially, never buy an investment on a tip, and pay in rupees. Most of it costs a modest amount; the gem or carpet scam is the one that can cost a lot.

Prepared, India is one of the world's great journeys. For getting around, see the India taxis and apps guide, and for the wider picture the India cost guide. India's National Tourist Helpline is 1363.

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