Gentle Strategies to Lighten Tourists' Purses

Inviting guests to use complimentary items, take group photos, and participate in street games are gentle traps that make travelers spend money, sometimes a considerable amount.

Gentle Strategies to Lighten Tourists' Purses

Tourists are attractive prey that few vendors or unscrupulous individuals want to ignore because they often carry a substantial amount of assets and appear unfamiliar with the surroundings. Below are some classic techniques you should know to avoid getting upset due to loss of money or belongings:

Inviting guests to use complimentary items

They often play the role of friendly vendors or volunteers at crowded tourist locations, smiling and inviting you to try a certain product (such as food) or wear local items (like bracelets, rings, hats). At this point, most victims believe they are being kindly gifted by locals, but in reality, as soon as you accept these items, these individuals immediately turn away and demand that you purchase the item at a price usually much higher than normal.

Posing for Photos with Locals

This trick is quite common at cultural sites but less so in cities. Locals dressed in traditional attire, often performing some sort of artistic activity, will invite you to take group photos. After happily thinking that you've got a beautiful shot, you'll be asked to pay a ridiculously high amount.

Scenic Route Taxi Rides

Needless to say, this is a scam almost everyone encounters while traveling. Most tourists are unfamiliar with the routes, so drivers take advantage and drive through circuitous routes completely unrelated to the destination. If questioned, they'll come up with excuses like one-way streets or rush hour, which we often don't know enough to verify.

Participating in Street Games

In outdoor tourist spots, street games are not uncommon, drawing large, lively crowds. Those unable to resist the allure of these games will be persuaded by the organizers to join. Since these games often involve prizes, few suspect foul play.

At first, you'll often be set up to win a few rounds to stimulate excitement, but the consequences can be quite dire. Victims usually lose a significant amount of money to these sweet traps.

No Price Listings, Multiple Surcharges

You should be cautious of restaurants and eateries that don't list specific prices because this is a sign of ambiguity, obscurity, and an opportunity for the owner to subtly empty your wallet. Even when prices are clearly stated, you should inquire about additional charges such as service fees, taxes, utensil fees, seating fees... Many tourists have ended up paying a small amount for food but a considerable sum for unreasonable surcharges.

Combo Ticket Selling

Even at public tourist spots (distinguished from private ones), you should carefully read the regulations, and it's best to research the place thoroughly online to see which types of tickets to buy and what expenses to expect. In reality, many places sell tickets in combo deals, bundling one thing with another. At first glance, it might seem cheap, but in reality, it's unnecessary and irrelevant to the visit. The mindset that organizers sell combos together ensures that they are related has led many tourists to have painful experiences.

In another scenario, even when related items are bundled together, sometimes individual costs turn out to be cheaper than the combo price.

Pretending to be a receptionist, asking you to provide personal information

Even more cunningly, many scammers pretend to be hotel receptionists, call your room, and then ask you to confirm personal information such as passport numbers, credit card numbers. You must never provide these numbers over the phone. When the hotel genuinely needs verification, they will invite you to the reception desk to do so.

Pretending to cause a collision to steal belongings

This trick is as old as the hills but never ceases to be effective. Typically, they will observe and take advantage of the moment when the victim is least alert to strike. The classic scenario often involves pretending to slip and bump into you, or spill water on you to distract your attention. The thief will pretend to apologize profusely, even help wipe off the dirt or help you up, but in reality, they are taking advantage of the opportunity to commit a 'sweet' theft.

According to Vnexpress.net

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