You’ve most likely been warned about pickpockets, drink spiking, and conniving tuk-tuk drivers. However, new and increasingly more creative scams seem to keep popping up on the backpacker trails everywhere. We’ve highlighted some of the latest scammer tricks and trends, and how to handle them safely while they are happening.

The Bogus Doctor Scam

Relatives of overseas travellers are being contacted by bogus doctors and hospital staff claiming their family member has been injured and asking for money to be sent for medical treatment. In this new scam, relatives are contacted by phone, email or SMS text messages and given contact details of where to send the money that will pay for the treatment of their supposedly injured loved one. In reality, no one is in hospital, the details are their personal accounts – and if you panic and act on their request, you will be out a large sum of money.

How to avoid this scam – You should share your insurance policy details with friends or family before leaving. If they can’t get through to you, then at least they can get through to the emergency assistance number and they can contact the person who is claiming someone is injured.

How to stay safe when it’s happening – If you are the friend or relative of a traveler and receive such a call, it’s advised to hang up and call the hospital or doctor back – but only through a publicly advertised number such as the yellow pages or other reputable directories. Do not use the contact details the potential scammer has sent you or the organization’s contact details given by the person requesting the information. Again, contact your travel insurance emergency assistance team to help, that’s why they’re there !

The Gems Scam

Gem scams are the most prolific and website forums are littered with stories of travellers who thought they were buying rare, ‘illegally smuggled’ Burmese gems at a fraction of the cost. Soon they find out that their polished gems are polished glass and worthless and the shop they bought from, was not an official government gem store and is no longer there. Worst still are those travellers that choose to pay up front on the belief that the ‘precious gems’ will be sent home, but alas nothing arrives in the mail. This is particularly prevalent in Thailand.

How to avoid this scam – As a rule of thumb, if the price appears to be too good to be true, it probably is! Thai people may sometimes be poor by Western standards but they are not stupid (that goes for market traders everywhere). You’ll be interested to know that there are no jewelery or gem shops that are owned, operated, or sponsored by the government in Thailand.

How to stay safe when it’s happening – As with the tailor scam, you’re unlikely to be at risk from a personal safety viewpoint. Golden rule, do not, under any circumstance agree to follow a street vendor to a gem store that’s ‘just around the corner’, you may well end up being mugged in a back alley!

The Gambling Scam

A traveller is approached on the street by a friendly local who invites you for a drink at their house. After a nice meal a friend or relative arrives and lets them know of a card game happening later that day with some inside tips on how they can cheat and make some easy cash. The ‘mark’ turns up for the game, is allowed to win a few hands but then starts losing and is bankrolled by that friendly person they met on the street, who cooked them such a lovely meal. You see where this is going?

Suddenly the new-found friend is not so friendly and wants that money back and now. Generally under the threat of violence, the ‘mark’ ends up cashing their travellers cheques or clearing out their ATM.

How to avoid this scam – Just be cautious when accepting the warm hospitality that locals may display that you’re not being coerced into something other than a terrific meal. Trust your instincts if you’re not comfortable. Better to risk offending than your personal safety.

How to stay safe when it’s happening – of all of the scams this is the one that has the most amounts of reported threats of violence. If you do find yourself stuck in this situation, and I hope not after reading this, comply with your attacker. If you’re essentially being robbed at knifepoint, the safest course of action is to hand over the money. Personal safety has to come first.

The Tailor Scam

A classic scam involving promises of the finest Kashmir suits, made to perfectly fit, paid in advance. Two days later your clothes arrive at your hotel and low and behold the material does not seem to be the finest Kashmir and the fit is suitable for an 8-year old. Not to worry, the tailor comes to your hotel to measure for adjustments and tells you the dodgy material is just being used to get the fit right. Promises of delivery are made, ensuring that you’ll have them before your flight leaves. Sure enough 30 minutes before you have to get on a plane, they arrive. The same ill-fitting, poor material rags you saw the day before. Too late to chase them down, home you go with what’s now a pretty worthless outfit.

How to avoid this scam – This is a tough scam to avoid, given the relatively hit & miss results travellers have experienced when getting tailored suits, particularly throughout Asia. One suggestion is to bring your own material and research online for those tailors who are well regarded by other travellers.

How to stay safe when it’s happening – You’re generally not going to be at risk from a personal safety viewpoint when it comes to this scam, aside from the rogue tailors pin when measuring up. Our advice to best avoid this particular problem is to only use a tailor who has a shop or factory and to arrange fittings there.

For more information and tips on popular scams check out:

Travel Scams 101

Scams – the advanced course

Read more stories from WorldNomads.com to help keep you travelling safely. WorldNomads.com provides travel insurance and travel safety services to residents over 150 countries. Find out why WorldNomads.com is an essential part of every adventurous traveler’s journey.

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