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Tourist rip-off hotspots and common scams 2026

Places where haggling, taxi and tuk-tuk scams or tourist pricing are common. Each city lists the usual tricks and how to dodge them. Tap a city for its fair-price lines and a quick price check.

Worst first 40

1. 🇲🇦 MarrakechMoroccoVery hard3.6/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
   Fake guides, henna and snake-photo hustles; haggle in every souk — Ignore 'that way is closed' helpers — navigate the medina with an offline map
2. 🇮🇳 VaranasiIndiaVery hard3.6/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
   Ghat 'wood donation' scam; rickshaw 'your hotel burned down' lies — Ignore anyone at Manikarnika Ghat asking 'donations' for cremation wood
3. 🇪🇬 LuxorEgyptHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 2
   Calèche/felucca upselling; tomb guards pushing for baksheesh — For calèche or felucca rides agree total price, duration and stops before boarding
4. 🇮🇳 AgraIndiaHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
   Fake guides, commission shops and marble-inlay hard sells — Buy Taj tickets on the official ASI site; use only badge-carrying approved guides
5. 🇪🇬 CairoEgyptHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
   Pyramid camel/horse touts; 'friendly' strangers steer you to shops — Ride with Uber/Careem; for camels or carriages fix the total price before you get on
6. 🇮🇳 DelhiIndiaHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 5 · Language 2 · Transport 2 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
   'Hotel closed' lies, fake tourist offices, auto-rickshaw rip-offs — Ignore anyone at New Delhi station saying the foreign-tourist ticket office is closed
7. 🇸🇳 DakarSenegalVery hard3.6/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 4 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
   All taxi fares are haggled; fake airport staff and 'remember me?' cons — Skip airport money-changers and touts; take Yango or a pre-booked pickup
8. 🇪🇹 Addis AbabaEthiopiaVery hard3.6/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 4
   Fake students and 'festival invites' end in a big bill; haggle taxis — Politely decline street 'friends' inviting you to coffee ceremonies or shows
9. 🇲🇦 MerzougaMoroccoHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 4 · Payments 4 · Safety 2
   Moped touts near Rissani, camp photo bait-and-switch, camel 'tips' — Book camps directly with inclusions in writing; ignore roadside 'guides' near Rissani
10. 🇲🇦 FezMoroccoHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
    Unofficial guides and 'free' tannery views ending in a hard sell — Book a licensed official guide through your riad instead of taking street guides
11. 🇮🇩 LombokIndonesiaHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 4 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Taxi cartels in Kuta & harbours block apps; fares are haggled — Pre-book airport/harbour pickups via your hotel; skip the touts at arrival
12. 🇲🇦 TangierMoroccoHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
    Port and medina touts, fake guides steering you to commission shops — Ignore 'guides' at the ferry port and walk straight to the official taxi rank
13. 🇹🇿 ArushaTanzaniaHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 4
    'Flycatcher' safari touts and fake operators; taxis are haggled — Book safaris only with TATO-registered operators, never through street touts
14. 🇧🇩 DhakaBangladeshHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 4
    CNG auto-rickshaws refuse meters; cycle rickshaws need haggling — Avoid airport transfers at night; book Uber/Pathao cars instead of CNGs
15. 🇯🇴 PetraJordanHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 4
    'Free' horse ride ends in tip demands; donkey and viewpoint touts — Agree the total incl. tip before any horse or donkey ride — or simply walk
16. 🇳🇬 LagosNigeriaHard3.4/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 1 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 5
    Haggling is standard; airport touts and 'area boys' demand cash — Arrange a hotel airport pickup and move only by app car — never on foot at night
17. 🇪🇬 AswanEgyptHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 2
    Pushy felucca touts on the Corniche; 'I know you from the hotel' trick — Pre-book an airport pickup — taxis start high and inDrive can't enter arrivals
18. 🇨🇴 CartagenaColombiaHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Beach 'free' massages and gifts get billed; taxis have no meters — Fix the total price before any massage, boat or tour; refuse 'free' gifts
19. 🇵🇪 CuscoPeruHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Pushy Plaza de Armas touts for massages/tours; paid llama photos — Book Machu Picchu tickets and trains weeks ahead; at night use only called/app taxis
20. 🇮🇳 GoaIndiaHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 4 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Taxi-union fares are steep; haggle with beach vendors — Use the GoaMiles app or the airport prepaid taxi counter to lock the fare
21. 🇻🇳 HanoiVietnamHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Old Quarter two-tier pricing, rigged taxi meters — use Grab/Xanh SM — At Noi Bai airport ignore driver touts — take an app ride or bus 86
22. 🇳🇵 KathmanduNepalHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
    Taxis skip meters — haggle; hotel touts and trekking-deal scams — Use the prepaid airport taxi, then Pathao/inDrive to lock in fares
23. 🇹🇿 ZanzibarTanzaniaHard3.2/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 4 · Safety 3
    Stone Town 'papasi' touts, beach boys and overpriced tours — Book tours via your hotel and carry cash — beach villages have few ATMs
24. 🇻🇳 Sa PaVietnamHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Hmong vendors tag along to sell or guide — decline firmly — Book trek guides through your hotel; carry cash for village entry fees
25. 🇰🇭 Siem ReapCambodiaHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Never pay the asking price near Angkor; many child vendors — Fix a full-day Angkor tuk-tuk price via your hotel; use PassApp in town
26. 🇮🇩 BaliIndonesiaHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Money-changer sleight of hand, taxi overcharging; haggle at markets — Use metered Bluebird or apps; change money only at licensed changers and count it there
27. 🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh CityVietnamHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Taxi and cyclo overcharging; haggle hard at Ben Thanh Market — Book Grab/Xanh SM instead of street taxis, and keep your phone pocketed by the road
28. 🇰🇪 MombasaKenyaHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Beach boys push tours; tuk-tuks and shops quote tourist prices — Agree tuk-tuk fares upfront, using the Bolt/Uber price as your benchmark
29. 🇰🇭 Phnom PenhCambodiaHard3.0/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 3 · Safety 3
    Tuk-tuks need haggling; card-game scams — PassApp/Grab avoid it — In tuk-tuks keep phone and bag inward; carry small, crisp dollar notes
30. 🇻🇳 Hoi AnVietnamModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Lantern boats, souvenirs, tailors: opening prices are high — haggle — For tailoring, skip hotel referrals and compare quotes from several shops
31. 🇪🇬 HurghadaEgyptModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Taxi tourist fares, 5/50-pound note switch, pushy excursion touts — Use Uber/Careem; with street taxis agree the fare first — don't trust the meter
32. 🇮🇳 JaisalmerIndiaModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Hotel touts at station and bus stand; desert safaris hard-sold — Book a vetted desert camp in advance — rides sold on the spot at Sam dunes cost more
33. 🇹🇭 Koh SamuiThailandModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 2 · Safety 2
    Taxis rarely use the meter and quote high; beware jet-ski scams — Fix the taxi fare before getting in - check the Grab price first to compare
34. 🇹🇭 PhuketThailandModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 3 · Payments 2 · Safety 2
    Tuk-tuk/taxi fares are high and haggled; jet-ski 'damage' scams — Never hand over your passport as a deposit for a jet ski or scooter rental
35. 🇪🇬 Sharm El SheikhEgyptModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 3 · Safety 2
    Pushy Naama Bay sellers, 'free gift' traps, inflated airport taxis — Taxi meters aren't used: agree the total in Egyptian pounds before riding, or use inDrive
36. 🇲🇽 Los CabosMexicoModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 2 · Safety 3
    Airport 'Shark Tank' timeshare touts; taxis are notoriously pricey — Ignore airport touts and pre-book a shuttle — Uber can't pick up at arrivals
37. 🇹🇭 PattayaThailandModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 2 · Safety 3
    Jet-ski damage scams, padded bar bills, baht-bus 'charter' fares — Hop on baht buses along their set route - naming a destination makes it a pricey charter
38. 🇩🇴 Punta CanaDominican RepublicModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 2 · Safety 3
    Unmetered, pricey taxis; beach vendors and timeshare pitches — Pre-book your airport transfer and fix any taxi fare before getting in
39. 🇲🇽 TulumMexicoModerate2.8/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 2 · Transport 3 · Payments 2 · Safety 3
    Taxi union monopoly: steep fares even for short rides — Agree the taxi fare first and pay in pesos — dollar payers get charged more
40. 🇹🇭 BangkokThailandModerate2.6/5 · Rip-offs 4 · Language 3 · Transport 2 · Payments 2 · Safety 2
    Taxis refuse the meter, tuk-tuks push shop tours - Grab/Bolt fix it — 'The Grand Palace is closed today' is a scam - cheap tuk-tuk tours end at gem shops

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FAQ

Scores run from 1 (easy) to 5 (hard) for rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, based on government travel advisories, Wikivoyage, the EF English index and official transport pages (as of 2026-10-05). Advisories change often — check your government's latest advice before you go. All 502 cities ranked ›