How To Overcome Con Artists in Asia

The best way to overcome con artists anywhere in the world is to use common sense. Don’t be afraid to go with your instincts when placed in an odd or even uncomfortable situation. Another solution is to try not to appear so naively “touristy” – that can be difficult in a foreign locale, but casually strolling about in a far-off metropolis with expensive jewelry dangling from your wrist is equivalent to putting a bull’s-eye on your back. Leave the diamond tennis bracelet at home and keep your expensive digital cameras tightly secured. There are plenty of con artists out there who make a living by picking tourists out of a crowd and preying on them with their tried and true methods.

A specific scam that has been going on in Bangkok, Thailand, and other Asian cities is the “international police” con. In this scam, a tourist is approached by a man not in uniform who identifies himself as “international police” and asks what is in your pockets. If the tourist plays into this scam he ends up showing the con artist that he has his wallet in his pocket and the criminal snatches the wallet and runs off. The best way to respond to this con is to ignore the person and walk away. If the harassment continues, seek out a uniformed policeman.

A popular con at popular Chinese cultural sites is the “tour guide trainee” who wishes to “practice” his new job with the foreign tourist. In truth, this trainee has no intention to take the tourist on an informative tour but wishes to take him to a “factory outlet” where goods are supposedly sold at discounts. The tourist ends up wasting their day meant to be spent on exploring Chinese culture. Best response here is to simply ignore the offers of a “free tour” of the cultural site.

Another Chinese scam practiced on foreign tourists involves an ensemble cast of actors. One actor bumps the tourist into another person who drops and breaks a vase. This second person then becomes distraught over the broken vase, which is now proclaimed to have been extraordinarily valuable. Finally, at the height of drama, a third actor appears who claims to have observed the whole situation and advises the tourist that he needs to pay up. Best response to this situation is to be aware that it is a popular scam in China and if it happens to you remember that you read it here and seek out a policeman. Chinese police are aware of common cons, and it takes an extremely brave con artist to take his situation to a policeman. Crime penalties in China remain quite harsh.

The best way to be prepared for possible scam attempts is to study the locale where you will be traveling. Usually, con artists learn their trade from someone else and don’t come up with novel scam ideas on their own. That said, it’s a good bet a con has happened to another tourist before or the con has been reported to authorities and the details have been made public on the Internet.