Traveling to India is quite exciting. Once you have your online VISA application in India and receive approval, you’re good to go, right? Not exactly. Prior to departing on your adventure, it is essential to learn about some of the most common scams that occur in this country. There are some people who target visitors, thinking they are the ideal, unprepared target. Being informed will help you protect yourself during your visit.
Acting Like the Don’t Know how to Get to Your Hotel
This is a typical scam encountered by people arriving at the Delhi airport who are taking a pre-paid taxi to their hotel. Sometime during the journey the driver will make the claim that they don’t know where the hotel is and offer to take you to another location. There are a number of visitors who fall for this because they are tired after their journey, but done. Insist on going to your planned hotel. They do this because they will receive compensation if you book at a different hotel. Also, when in Delhi, don’t give the pre-paid voucher for the taxi until they take you to your planned destination.
Stating the Place You Want to go is Closed or Moved
This is another common scam that occurs all over India but is much more common in the bigger cities. In many cases, if you are looking for the foreign tourist reservation office you may be told it has closed and then taken to a travel agent to make a booking. However, this should be ignored and you should insist on going to your planned destination.
Importing Gem Stones Duty Free
This is another common scam in India in locations where people visit to purchase gemstones. This scam involves the tourist being approached someone who deals in gems. This person will try to convince them to purchase the gems for them and import them with their duty free allowance. Then they will sell them to one of their partners in their home country for a high profit. However, this partner is generally always fictitious and then the person will be left with a ton of worthless gems.
While these scams are widespread, when you are informed you will be able to avoid them. Taking the time to learn what the most common scams are is essential, regardless of the country you plan to visit.
