Money scams
Almost none of it is crime. It is the payment.
Search this subject and you get warnings about pickpockets. The things that actually take real money off US travelers are quieter than that: a fixed airport fare you did not know existed, a card machine offering to bill you in dollars, a meter that stays off, a stranger who tells you the palace is closed today. They are mostly legal, or close to it, and they are all defeated by knowing one number or saying one word.
The single most expensive trap, and the easiest to defeat, because several cities set an official flat fare and publish it. Rome is 55 euros between Fiumicino and anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls. Athens is 40 euros by day and 55 overnight to the centre. Paris sets fixed fares from both airports. Know your number before you land, and never accept a ride from someone who approaches you inside the terminal.
The most widespread one, and it is not really a scam so much as a legal markup with a friendly interface. A card terminal or ATM offers to charge you in US dollars instead of the local currency, and quietly adds a few percent on the exchange. It is on every purchase you accept it on. Always choose the local currency, every time, on every machine.
Meter refused, meter rigged, the long route, no change for a big note, or the note swap where the driver claims the bill you handed over was smaller than it was. This one recurs across Vietnam, Mexico, India, Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. Use the app where there is a real one, agree the fare before the door closes where there is not, and carry small notes.
A helpful stranger tells you the site is closed today, or that your hotel has shut, and offers an alternative. The alternative pays them. It is the tuk-tuk gem and tailor tour in Bangkok, the redirected hotel in India, the fake guide in the Marrakech medina. Verify closures yourself, and treat unsolicited helpfulness near a famous landmark as a sales call.
Three habits that cover most of it
Look up the airport fare before you fly. Where a flat fare exists it is set by the city and it is not negotiable, so the whole scam collapses the moment you know the figure. Where no flat fare exists, find out what the normal metered range is instead.
Say local currency, always. On terminals, on ATMs, at hotel checkout. There is no situation in which being billed in dollars abroad is better for you. This one habit is worth more over a trip than avoiding every taxi trick combined.
Treat the first offer near a landmark as a sale. Not hostility, just arithmetic: the person who approaches you at the airport exit, the temple gate or the medina entrance is working, and you are the product. A polite no costs nothing.
None of this requires suspicion of a whole country. It requires knowing the four or five specific setups that recur in the place you are going, which is what the country pages below are for.
Country by country
The specific setups that recur in each place, and what each one costs. Each write-up lives in that country's guide.
EgyptCommon money scams in Egypt, and what they cost youEgypt is one of the world's great trips, and the hassles that do come up are almost all about money, not danger: overcharging, pressure, and a tip expected for everything. A few calm habits defuse nearly all of it. Here is each trap, what it costs, and how to sidestep it.
FranceCommon money scams in France, and what they cost youParis has a small, well-rehearsed repertoire of money tricks, and most of them are performed on the same handful of streets. They rely on your politeness rather than any threat, and each one has a tell you can learn in a sentence.
GreeceCommon money scams in Greece, and what they cost youGreece has a reputation for taxi trouble that is now mostly out of date, and one setup in central Athens that is still worth knowing about. The useful thing is that the airport fare is fixed by law, so the biggest number of your trip is already decided.
IndiaCommon money scams in India, and what they cost youIndia is an extraordinary trip that rewards a little preparation, and the scams that target tourists are money ones, not danger: overcharging, commission steering and a few well-known setups. They follow the same patterns almost every time, so once you know them they are easy to sidestep. Here is each one and how.
ItalyCommon money scams in Italy, and what they cost youItaly's tourist money traps are mostly overcharging rather than theft, and the good news is that the biggest one has an official number attached to it. Know the fixed airport fare, read the bill, and buy tickets from the actual ticket office.
MexicoCommon money scams in Mexico, and what they cost youMexico is safe for the great majority of visitors, and almost none of this is dramatic. These are ordinary money traps, overcharges and pressure tactics aimed at tourists, and a few simple habits defuse nearly all of them. Here is each one, what it costs, and how to sidestep it.
MoroccoCommon money scams in Morocco, and what they cost youMorocco is a spectacular trip, and the medina hustle you have heard about is almost entirely about money, not danger: pressure, misdirection and manufactured goodwill aimed at your wallet. Once you know the pattern you see it coming, and a calm, firm no defuses nearly all of it.
SpainCommon money scams in Spain, and what they cost youSpain is a safe, card-friendly country, and the things that cost visitors money here are rarely dramatic. Most of it happens quietly, on a card terminal or at the bottom of a bill, and every one of them is easy to sidestep once you know the shape of it.
ThailandCommon money scams in Thailand, and what they cost youThailand is one of the safest countries in Southeast Asia for visitors, and almost none of what follows is dangerous. It is ordinary money stuff, overcharging and a few well-rehearsed setups aimed at tourists, and recognizing the patterns sidesteps nearly all of it. Here is each trap, what it costs, and how to avoid it.
TurkeyCommon money scams in Turkey, and what they cost youTurkey is safe and welcoming for the great majority of visitors, and the tricks that target tourists, mostly in Istanbul's busy quarters, are about money rather than danger. Each one relies on your politeness or confusion, and each is easy to sidestep once you know it.
VietnamCommon money scams in Vietnam, and what they cost youVietnam is a wonderful and largely trouble-free trip, and the scams that target tourists are mostly small-value money hustles, not danger: overcharging, sleight of hand and a few transport tricks. They rely on confusion, and a few habits defuse nearly all of them. Here is each one and how to avoid it.Official flat fares and published rates are checked against the city or authority that sets them and dated on each page. The recurring setups themselves are our own read from experience and consistent traveler reports, not an official register, and they change as apps and enforcement change. For the pay-in-dollars problem in detail, see cash or card by country, and for airport transfers specifically, taxis and ride-hailing. More on how we work is on our methodology page.
Compare a whole region
Weighing up where to go? See how the countries in a region stack up on cost, cash, tipping and getting around, with a clear pick for each.