GACS Safe Traveller
GACS Safe TravellerFree
31 cities
Tourist scams, by city
Every city has its own playbook. Search or browse 31 destinations for the top scams — how they work, how to avoid them, and exactly what to do if it happens. Free, updated monthly, with emergency contacts and tourist police lines.
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Cities
A
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam is safe but pickpocketing on trams 2 and 5, bike-rental damage scams, and fake drugs sold in the Red Light District cost tourists thousands each week.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 18 →
- Athens, Greece
Athens is safe by day; the main risks are pickpocketing on Metro Line 1 to Piraeus, tea-house honey-trap bars around Syntagma, and taxi meter switching from the airport.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 17 →
B
- Bali, Indonesia
Bali is safe from violent crime but rife with ATM skimming, motorbike-rental damage extortion, and drink-spiking in Kuta and Canggu nightlife.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 23 →
- Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is very safe from violent crime but rich in tourist scams — tuk-tuk gem tours, closed-attraction lies, and jet-ski damage claims are the classics that still hit thousands of visitors per year.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 24 →
- Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is a top-3 pickpocketing city in Europe. Violent crime is rare, but La Rambla, the Metro L3, Sagrada Família, and Barceloneta beach are extremely high-risk for theft.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 21 →
- Berlin, Germany
Berlin is safe overall but fake BVG ticket inspectors, bar-tab padding around Warschauer Str, and S-Bahn pickpockets on the Alexanderplatz route are common tourist traps.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 18 →
- Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is safe by day but the consumer-girl (konzumlány) bar scam, taxi meter tampering from BUD airport, and currency exchange short-changing are frequent tourist losses.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 16 →
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires' signature scam is the mustard / bird-poop distraction robbery. Other traps: counterfeit peso bills, taxi meter tampering from EZE airport, and 'blue dollar' street exchange scams.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 18 →
C
- Cairo, Egypt
Cairo's tourist scams are relentless: fake tour guides at Giza, papyrus / perfume shop tricks, camel-ride price hikes, and taxi meter refusal from CAI airport. Kindness is often the opening move.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 18 →
- Cancun, Mexico
Cancun's tourist scams cluster around the airport: timeshare pitches disguised as tour desks, taxi overcharging ($80 for a $25 ride), and ATM skimmers at OXXO stores in the Hotel Zone.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 17 →
- Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena is safe by day in the Walled City but emerald scams, jet-ski damage claims, drink-spiking in Getsemaní bars, and unmetered taxis catch thousands of tourists.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 17 →
D
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai is one of the safest big cities in the world. Real risks are commercial: gold-shop bait-and-switch in Deira, timeshare 'holiday club' pitches at malls, ATM skimming in tourist zones, and taxi long-hauling from DXB.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 14 →
- Dublin, Ireland
Dublin is friendly and safe but Temple Bar pickpocketing at night, fake charity chuggers on Grafton Street, and unlicensed taxis from Dublin Airport are the main tourist scams.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 15 →
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- Las Vegas, United States
Las Vegas main-scam risks: cab 'long-hauling' via the airport tunnel, resort-fee surprises, strip 'escort' bait-and-switch, and ATM cash-advance surcharges of 15%+.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 16 →
- Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is one of Europe's safest capitals but tram 28 pickpockets, fake drug sellers in Baixa/Rossio, and restaurant 'couvert' (unrequested appetiser charges) trip up thousands of tourists a month.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 16 →
- London, United Kingdom
London is generally safe but pickpocketing on the Tube, ATM shoulder-surfing in the West End, and illegal minicabs from Soho at closing time are the main risks for tourists.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 20 →
M
- Manila, Philippines
Manila's real risks: budol-budol (sweet-talk) group scams, unmetered taxis at NAIA, ATM skimming in Malate, and the historic 'laglag-bala' (bullet planting) at airports — mostly ended but stay alert.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 17 →
- Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech is safe but has some of the world's most persistent tourist hustles. The medina, Jemaa el-Fnaa, and taxi routes to the airport are the friction points — henna ambushes, fake guides, and snake-charmer photo demands are daily.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 21 →
- Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico City (CDMX) is safer than its reputation suggests for tourists — violent crime is concentrated far from tourist zones. Fake taxis, ATM express-kidnapping robberies, and card-skimming are the real risks.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 22 →
- Miami, United States
Miami's tourist trap zone is South Beach: restaurants with hidden auto-gratuity of 20–30%, jet-ski 'damage' claims, and unmetered taxis from MIA airport charging triple.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 18 →
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P
- Paris, France
Paris is safe for most visitors but pickpocketing, distraction thefts, and staged petition scams are widespread around the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré-Cœur, and on Metro lines 1, 4, and 9.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 22 →
- Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is very safe from violent crime but has classic tourist scams — money-changer short-changes, taxi overcharging, and 'strip club' bait-and-switches near Wenceslas Square.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 19 →
R
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio's risks are more serious than most European cities: express kidnapping via ATM (sequestro relâmpago), fake police stops, beach arrastões (group robberies), and taxi overcharging from GIG airport.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 20 →
- Rome, Italy
Rome's biggest travel risk is pickpocketing on buses 40, 64, 60, and the Metro Line A between Termini and Vatican. Violent crime is very rare; distraction thefts and taxi overcharging are the main scams.
Top 5 scams · full catalog: 20 →
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Authoritative sources
Independent primary sources used to check and corroborate the guidance on this page.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Official US channel for reporting internet-enabled fraud and cybercrime.
- US Federal Trade Commission — ReportFraud
Consumer fraud reporting and published enforcement data.
- UK Action Fraud
UK national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Canada's central repository for fraud reports and scam alerts.
