Common money scams in Turkey, and what they cost you

Taxis are the most common way tourists lose money in Turkey. Drivers may turn the meter off or claim it is broken, take a long route, have no change, or run the note swap: you pay with a 200 lira note, the driver quickly swaps it for a similar-looking 20 and says you underpaid. The clean fixes: use BiTaksi or Uber (which dispatch licensed taxis in Istanbul at the metered rate), and where you pay a street cab in cash, state the note out loud, here is 200 lira, and pay by card when you can, which removes change and swap tricks entirely.

At Istanbul airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen (SAW), some drivers set the meter to the higher night rate in daytime or take the long coastal road instead of the highway, turning a legitimate 250 to 350 lira fare into 450 to 600. Avoid drivers who approach you before the official rank, and consider the metro or an airport shuttle, which are far cheaper into the city.

The classic Istanbul street setup is the dropped shoeshine brush: a shoeshiner walking ahead of you drops a brush, you kindly pick it up and hand it back, and he insists on shining your shoes as a thank you, then presents a hefty bill. If someone drops something and then offers you a free service, decline and keep walking.

The costlier one, which tends to target solo male travelers around Taksim, is the friendly invitation: a personable stranger strikes up a conversation and suggests a drink at a bar he knows, where the menu prices are astronomical and staff make sure you pay a bill that can run into the hundreds. Be politely wary of an over-eager new acquaintance leading you to a specific venue; choose your own bar, and if a bill is wildly wrong, you can call the police on 155 rather than pay quietly.

In tourist-area restaurants, watch for unordered extras, bread, water, meze or a salad that arrive unasked and look complimentary, then appear on the bill, and for menus with no prices or inflated tourist pricing (the fish-by-weight bill is a common one). Check the menu and prices before ordering, wave away anything you did not ask for, and read the itemized bill.

The Grand Bazaar is a genuine and safe experience, but the risk is financial: opening prices are hugely inflated for tourists, the sales pressure is persistent, and short-changing is occasionally reported. Treat it as browsing, start at roughly a quarter to a third of the first price, compare a few shops, and remember that accepting tea is a sales tactic, not an obligation to buy.

Rarely, someone may pose as a plainclothes police officer and ask to inspect your passport and wallet, aiming to lift cash or card details. Real officers do not need to inspect your money: keep your wallet, decline to hand it over, and ask to verify identity or walk to a tourist-police point.

At the ATM and card machine, choose to be charged in lira, not dollars or euros: the convert-for-you option uses a poor built-in rate that costs several percent. Use bank ATMs, and be aware that with high inflation the lira figures here move quickly, so check your app's estimate for a current sense of a fare or price.

Almost all of it relies on politeness or confusion and costs from a few lira to, at worst, a nasty bar bill, and the same habits defuse nearly everything: BiTaksi or Uber or the meter, pay by card or state the note out loud, decline unsolicited approaches, check menus and bills, and choose your own bar. The two worth active care are the bar-bill invitation and any fake officer, both of which you avoid by not following a stranger and not handing over your wallet.

Known in advance, none of this should shape a trip to one of the world's great cities. For getting around, see the Turkey taxis and apps guide, and for the wider picture the Turkey cost guide.

Common questions

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The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Turkey, or can I use cards?Short answer: a card for cities and larger purchases, lira cash for bazaars, small vendors and taxis. And with high inflation, prices move fast. Here is how to handle it.
• Tipping in TurkeyTurkey has a modest tipping culture: about 5 to 10% at restaurants, plus small tips for a hamam attendant, guides and hotel staff. Here is what you actually owe.
• Istanbul taxis, the meter, and the airport done rightIstanbul taxis are metered and mostly fine, but a handful of tricks target visitors, and the airport is a long way out. Here is which app to install, how the meter really works, and the calm way to get into town.