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Around the World in 80 Scams:
an Essential Travel Guide
by Peter John
Practical tips for beating swindlers at their own games!
Kindle version now available
$3.69, £2.40
by Peter John, taken from the book's epilogue
The eighty scams listed in this book may seem a fairly comprehensive list of all the ways in which travellers are swindled before and during their trips. But there are plenty of other scams out there, and new tricks are emerging all the time. So here are a dozen pointers which I use to keep myself safe while travelling. These tips have not protected me completely from being swindled. I think, however, that they have protected me at least to some extent:
1. If an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is, so I usually pass. This applies anywhere, from advertisements in newspapers or online to offers from touts in bus stations.
2. I do not accept food or drink from strangers whom I have just met in hotels or on buses or trains.
3. I pay careful attention to my surroundings when using an ATM. I try to guard my PIN carefully, and avoid being distracted while using the machine.
4. Before I travel, I do at least a little research to find out whether my destination is notorious for any particular scams. I find that embassy websites and online travel forums are particular good sources.
5. I watch my taxi drivers like a hawk. Many are honest, but many will cheat given the slightest chance.
6. If I do not need to carry something valuable when I go out, I leave it in my hotel. If necessary, I ask the management to put it in the hotel safe.
7. I try to learn something about the currency I will have to use at my destination. I find out the exchange rate before I go, and I try and familiarise myself with notes and coins as soon as possible.
8. I try to keep as many of my possessions as possible in my sight when I am out and about.
9. I do not always assume that policemen or customs officials are honest, especially in poorer countries.
10. I carry a backup ATM or credit card with me in case I lose my main card. Having been broke in a foreign city, I would rather not repeat that experience.
11. I try not to arrive in foreign cities after dark. Thieves love darkness.
12. I do not buy expensive goods overseas unless I know exactly what I am doing.
Above all, though, I do not let worrying about being scammed ruin my trip, any more than I let the possibility of being run over stop me crossing the road.