Scam stories while traveling

[clueless_in_usa 8]

Now that I have time to write, I want to know who else has encountered scam situations while traveling to see your SO.

The most common scam that locals tried to play on me (the stupid foreigner) is the scam of the wallet full of cash.

This happened to me twice in Kiev and once in Krasnodar, Russia.

A man, usually in a hurry, drops a wallet full of cash in front of you (usually full of dollars for the scam to work with foreigners). When you try to alert the former man, another one comes from behind you and picks up the wallet. He opens it and shows you that it is full of $100 bills. Then he tries to convince you to go somewhere with him to count the money and share it.

Fortunately I have lived in other places where this is common, so I never fell for it. In Kiev the second man was adamant, until I scream at him telling him to get lost. What situation did they try to play on you?

If you do not yet understand the scam, let me know and I will explain it to you.

[mox 298]

The most common scam that locals tried to play on me (the stupid foreigner) is the scam of the wallet full of cash.

Aaaaah, you've tried hiring a cab at Sheremetyevo too, huh?

The scam you mentioned is quite common in Vegas, btw. Tourists fall for that one daily.

[amberdima 6]

i have not yet travelled to FSU countries; however, while in france, gypsies would hang out at tourist spots trying to swindle money. also, thieves would ride motorcycles close to pedestrians and try to cut the shoulder straps off their bags and take them.

[clueless_in_usa 8]

i have not yet travelled to FSU countries; however, while in france, gypsies would hang out at tourist spots trying to swindle money. also, thieves would ride motorcycles close to pedestrians and try to cut the shoulder straps off their bags and take them.

I wanted to know more about personal scams, where the other people establish some kind of personal interaction with you ...

... but if you also want to mention thieves, a friend of mine (a Russian) had just arrived to Moscow and went to the Metro with her mother. While they were talking (and not paying attention) somebody cut her bag pocket with a knife and took her passport, her green card, her airplane ticket back, and $750 that she was carrying for her trip. She had to spend a month in Russia just to get a new passport. Her whole trip was ruined.

[SMR 368]

Now that I have time to write, I want to know who else has encountered scam situations while traveling to see your SO.

The most common scam that locals tried to play on me (the stupid foreigner) is the scam of the wallet full of cash.

This happened to me twice in Kiev and once in Krasnodar, Russia.

A man, usually in a hurry, drops a wallet full of cash in front of you (usually full of dollars for the scam to work with foreigners). When you try to alert the former man, another one comes from behind you and picks up the wallet. He opens it and shows you that it is full of $100 bills. Then he tries to convince you to go somewhere with him to count the money and share it.

Fortunately I have lived in other places where this is common, so I never fell for it. In Kiev the second man was adamant, until I scream at him telling him to get lost. What situation did they try to play on you?

If you do not yet understand the scam, let me know and I will explain it to you.

I have not heard of this particular scam but I can think of several ways that it could end. In general, going somewhere (to count the money) is always a bad idea. I've heard of a similar scam where you return the money and the man claims that if now has less money in it and you stole some of it.

Another popular scam that a driver tried to pull on me in Omsk is to tell you a price of 100 rubles for the taxi and then declare that it is per kilometer. I flew into Omsk and tried to bargain with a driver at the airport for a ride back to my apartment but they all wanted around 400 and I knew it shouldn't cost more than 150. A man offered 100 and I expected a scam since I had heard of this. But I was in the mood to mess with someone that wanted to scam me. When we got back, he asked for over 1000 rubles. I opened the door, gave him 100, and started to leave. He grabbed me by the coat but it was a clutch car so he couldn't get far with only 1 hand. So he let me go. Kind of anticlimactic.

Also, if you are ever in a Russian clothing market, remember that Russian leather and fur is not actually cheaper than American leather and fur. It's just that Russian fake leather and fur is more expensive than American fake leather and fur.

[amberdima 6]

I wanted to know more about personal scams, where the other people establish some kind of personal interaction with you ...

the gypsies tried handing us pieces of paper with text written in english. i didn't take it, but i could read part of it from a distance. it said something about a relative having a disease and needing money for surgery, bla bla bla. so, yes, they definitely tried to personally connect with people to get money.

[slim 1,525]

the gypsies tried handing us pieces of paper with text written in english. i didn't take it, but i could read part of it from a distance. it said something about a relative having a disease and needing money for surgery, bla bla bla. so, yes, they definitely tried to personally connect with people to get money.

While I was walking around the "Tour d'Eiffel" the gypsies showed me the same paper. When I just stood there looking at the first one kind of funny (because it was in German) they cycled through to the next one (this time it was in Italian or Spanish or something.) I looked at it funny as well so they kept going until they'd cycled through their entire stack. Perplexed, they started speaking (I have no idea what language they were speaking - wasn't French, wasn't English, didn't even sound European) and pointing to each word on each card, trying to sound it out for me. I just kept playing dumb and acting like I didn't understand any of them.

I've gotta hand it to them, they're pretty enterprising. They started getting ticked off because they knew out of all those different papers they had prepared, one of them should've had my pasty white @$$ covered. I kept acting like I was genuinely interested in trying to figure out what their little cards said but truth be told, I wanted to see how far they'd go to try to get my money or at what point they'd give up and move on to the next sorry sucker. They were a persistent bunch, I'll give them that. Not until the cops wandered over did they stop trying. I realized there were about four of them working together when they stopped to take a smoke break.

I've given many scammers many a dollar if I see they're persistent and trying hard. I respect anyone putting in a hard day's work and I'll reward them, but only after I make it clear that I'm onto their scam and I'm only tipping them for thier effort and entertainment.

... not that I tip "entertainers" though.

While in Russia the only "scam" anyone tried to pull on me was when a nice young lady at the Night Flight Club told me how handsome and nice I was. "Wow, you look like you go to sport club all ze time. You want to have sex party?" I was born at night, but I wasn't born last night! (And I don't have disposable income even remotely close to what's required at that fine establishment. Anytime you walk in and the ATM is the first thing you see.... time to find a cheaper place to hang out. Although, I gotta say, that's probably one of the best "atmospheres" I've ever hung around in. The whole place kind of smells like cotton candy.)

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

The only scam I got involved in was one Im still paying for. I was on the internet trying to meet women and I found this woman on a web site, started emailing her. I finally went to visit her, she played it really cool, after I returned home she tricked me into proposing, I did and then we filled out all this paperwork to get a visa. I visited her a second time, she got her visa, arrived, and we got married. She tricked me into getting her pregnant by promising me we would have sex. Our son is now two and I will be paying for at least 40 more years. Her scam is so incredible she is going to slowly take all my money and my sanity. Anyone else heard of this one?

[AKguy 1]

The only scam I got involved in was one Im still paying for. I was on the internet trying to meet women and I found this woman on a web site, started emailing her. I finally went to visit her, she played it really cool, after I returned home she tricked me into proposing, I did and then we filled out all this paperwork to get a visa. I visited her a second time, she got her visa, arrived, and we got married. She tricked me into getting her pregnant by promising me we would have sex. Our son is now two and I will be paying for at least 40 more years. Her scam is so incredible she is going to slowly take all my money and my sanity. Anyone else heard of this one?

I'm doing my best to drag her scam out as long as I can.

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

The only scam I got involved in was one Im still paying for. I was on the internet trying to meet women and I found this woman on a web site, started emailing her. I finally went to visit her, she played it really cool, after I returned home she tricked me into proposing, I did and then we filled out all this paperwork to get a visa. I visited her a second time, she got her visa, arrived, and we got married. She tricked me into getting her pregnant by promising me we would have sex. Our son is now two and I will be paying for at least 40 more years. Her scam is so incredible she is going to slowly take all my money and my sanity. Anyone else heard of this one?

I'm doing my best to drag her scam out as long as I can.

Hmm how is that working for you

[AKguy 1]

Hmm how is that working for you

So far so scammed! Hook line and sinker.

[BluesTraveler 0]

Kiev, I had the scam where they dropped the bag of money in front of me. Problem is, I think the guy was new at it, because I saw him throw the bag 10 feet in front of me.

If you start talking to the guy, he will say, take all the money, just give me some of your money, camera, etc... Then you take the money to the bank and try to exchange it. The usual way the scam ends is the money is counterfeit and worthless. Or the person does a quick exchange and he hands you a bag with pieces of paper wrapped around photocopied paper. Something like that.

I saw a Russian move where they actually showed the scam being played on an American tourist. A movie about some navy guys returning home. I think it was a series of 3 movies. Only guy speaking English was the American guy. Typical American looking guy, old, fat, and balding.

[mox 298]

Yeah, the typical way this scam works:

- Somebody strikes up a conversation with you, asking directions or where they can find a restaurant, etc. This confirms you are a tourist, as you'll probably volunteer that you don't know the area.

- A second person comes up, carrying a wallet or an envelope with a bunch of cash in it. They ask the first person if it's theirs. Both of these people know each other but will act like strangers. They start to get excited about how much money is in the envelope (a couple thousand at least), and gradually pull you in as a "third" accomplice. There's no ID or anything, so they think it might be a good idea to split the money.

- Except that one of them suggests they contact a lawyer first, and lo and behold they just happen to work for a lawyer, or their uncle is a lawyer, etc. They call the lawyer. The "lawyer" says that he can file all the legal paperwork necessary, but each person needs to put up a couple hundred dollars (or more) as either good faith, a processing fee, for the lawyers time, whatever. The other two cough up the money and put it in the envelope. You are expected to cough up your share too.

- It will take some time to process, so they get you to agree to meet at the lawyer's office a few hours from now or the next day.

- A discussion ensues about who will get to hold onto the envelope while you're all waiting. Eventually the other two strangers decide it should be you. So they give you the now-sealed envelope with the found cash and everyone's contribution, and leave...really quick like.

- Eventually you're going to open that envelope, whether it's because you've decided to keep all this money yourself or when you find out the lawyer's office is bogus. The envelope is filled with scrap paper. They switched envelopes on you during the discussion, and the scammers now have your "good faith" money.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Yeah, the typical way this scam works:

- Somebody strikes up a conversation with you, asking directions or where they can find a restaurant, etc. This confirms you are a tourist, as you'll probably volunteer that you don't know the area.

- A second person comes up, carrying a wallet or an envelope with a bunch of cash in it. They ask the first person if it's theirs. Both of these people know each other but will act like strangers. They start to get excited about how much money is in the envelope (a couple thousand at least), and gradually pull you in as a "third" accomplice. There's no ID or anything, so they think it might be a good idea to split the money.

- Except that one of them suggests they contact a lawyer first, and lo and behold they just happen to work for a lawyer, or their uncle is a lawyer, etc. They call the lawyer. The "lawyer" says that he can file all the legal paperwork necessary, but each person needs to put up a couple hundred dollars (or more) as either good faith, a processing fee, for the lawyers time, whatever. The other two cough up the money and put it in the envelope. You are expected to cough up your share too.

- It will take some time to process, so they get you to agree to meet at the lawyer's office a few hours from now or the next day.

- A discussion ensues about who will get to hold onto the envelope while you're all waiting. Eventually the other two strangers decide it should be you. So they give you the now-sealed envelope with the found cash and everyone's contribution, and leave...really quick like.

- Eventually you're going to open that envelope, whether it's because you've decided to keep all this money yourself or when you find out the lawyer's office is bogus. The envelope is filled with scrap paper. They switched envelopes on you during the discussion, and the scammers now have your "good faith" money.

Sounds complicated. Speaking of complicated, how is the Pitcairn forum coming along?

[mox 298]

Sounds complicated. Speaking of complicated, how is the Pitcairn forum coming along?

Well...I got a new flag. So baby steps I guess.