Petty corruption in context with Tourist

Table of content.
1.Fake money Fraud
2.Taxi/Auto Fraud
3. Unofficial tour guides malpractices

4. Fast-track admission service malpractices

5. Temple donation malpractices

6. Unreasonably high bar tab activity
7.“Train Ticket Office is closed” or “Train is fully booked” activity
8. Prepaid taxi malpractices
9. SIM card scam

10.Free gifts malpractices

11.Rental vehicle fraud

With a rich and diverse history, culture, topography,

architecture and cuisine, India is a tourist magnet and
everyone wants to visit India once in lifetime.
But like elsewhere in the world, parts of India are notorious
for con-artists and scammers, who are on the look out to make
a quick buck from unsuspecting tourists.
1.Fake money
Counterfeit currency is prevalent in India and the Indian government has taken several
measures to deal with the fake money. But, fake currency scammers still manage to cheat
money out of any
tourists who are
unfamiliar with the
look and feel of the
correct notes. At
times, even the most
savvy locals fall into
this trap. Most
people are honest,
but there are some
who will take
advantage of you.
The scam goes like this
– you give a note (500 or 2000) to the merchant/driver to return the balance, he will swap
with a fake note that he already has and claim that the bill you handed over to him was fake.

To avoid this from happening, acquaint yourself with the Indian currency and give the exact
change whenever possible.

2Taxi/ Auto malpractices

This one is a common scam in India, and entails the following scenarios:

 The taxi/auto driver would say that the taxi meter is broken and ask for an inflated flat
fare
 The taxi/auto will not have a meter
 The meter will run superfast, as sometimes drivers do set the meter at a higher tariff
 Or, they will clearly refuse to turn on the meter

All these scenarios may lead to paying over the odds. Not only have the inexperienced
tourists, sometimes even the locals have fallen prey to this scam.

So, if you opt for a taxi in India, be sure to use a

metered taxi (it is against the law to operate a
taxi in India without a meter). If the taxi driver
says that the meter is broken, but he will take
you wherever you want at a low fare, just don’t
buy it – it’s a trick to squeeze more money out of
you. And, if you’ve no option left, then negotiate
the fare first and make sure the fare covers the
luggage and all passengers, not just a single
person.
3.Unofficial tour guides malpractices
Many people will claim to be tour guides. Some are genuine, while others are not. More often
than not, you will find these unofficial tour guides lurking at the historical and religious
attractions, and targeting mainly the foreign
tourists and then charging exorbitantly.
These guides will often not show you all
round a location, rather they will convince
you that the remaining spots are closed or
they are not accessible to tourists.
Moreover, they will take you to their
‘commission-based’ shop or restaurant only.

It is advisable to go for the guide for whom

you have to pay at the counter of the
attraction. Use your best judgement while
hiring a guide.

4.Fast-track admission service

This is another common scam that pops up now and again. It goes like this – if the queue for
the tourist attraction is long,
some rogues will approach
you to buy their fast-track
admission service. They will
take your money and vanish
into thin air. Again, be wary
of such people! It is advisable
to follow the queue rather
than losing money to a
scammer.
5.Temple donation
This is an old scam that happens generally in religious places. A typical scenario goes like
this – some people at the religious
places will approach you, claim to be
temple officials and ask for a hefty
donation. These are definitely not the
temple officials, and there is no

obligation to give the donation in a

temple. You can simply refuse to give
the money to these rogues. If they keep
bothering you, threaten to get the police
involved.

6.Unreasonably high bar tab

This happens at many pubs and bars
spread throughout the country. Dodgy
barkeeps will add an extra cocktail to
your bill and add the service charge
on that incorrect bill. And, when you
ask the bartender to amend your tab,
they’ll subtract the price of the drinks
from your bill, but not rectify the
service charge. So, it’s advisable to
get a completely new bill made with
the correct amount and service
charge. Also, keep track of the drinks
you’ve had, check the price before
ordering and make a rough estimate
of the final bill.
7.“Train Ticket Office is closed” or “Train is fully booked”
Another common scam that has long existed in
India, more precisely in metro cities, like Delhi,
Kolkata and Mumbai, is that people outside the
railway station will tell you that the train ticket
office is closed or the train is fully booked, and
you will be coaxed to buy the ticket from their
shop that they often claim to be government-
approved. However, this usually isn’t the case.
On top of that, massive hidden charges are levied
that will potentially leave a hefty dent on your
pocket.

Simply, steer clear of such men and shops. You can book the train ticket online on the official
website of the Indian Railways, or queue up on the ticket counter at the train station. Every
station has a tourism information counter, too. If you need any information, head straight to
that window.
8.Pre-Paid taxi
Another old scam that entraps unsuspecting tourists is that of the pre-paid taxi at the airports.
There are government-approved pre-paid taxi stands from where you can book a taxi to your
destination. During the journey, the taxi driver will tell you that the area that leads to the
hotel is blocked for some festival or political reason, or he will say he doesn’t know the
address of the hotel, or he may
say that the hotel doesn’t
exist. Instead, you’ll be taken
to a fake tourist office where
you will be offered a package
inclusive of hotel and tour at
an exorbitant price (but
according to them it is at a
bargain price). Another
scenario is the driver will take
you to a hotel from where he
will get his commission.
Many fall in for this scam and
end up paying over the odds.

The best way to avoid this scam is arrange an airport pick-up from your respective hotel, or in
case the driver tells you he
doesn’t know the hotel, better
yet, call the hotel by yourself so
that the staff can give the
directions to the driver or use
GPS to track the route.
9.SIM card scam
In India, to get a valid SIM card, you need to fill out a form and submit your photograph
along with a copy of proof of identity. But, if all these formalities aren’t done, it means, they
will either hand you over the used SIM card, or they will not file your form, which means
your SIM card will not operate and you have lost your money, too.

So, in order to stay

in touch with family
and friends back
home, it is best to
go straight to the
official office of
the service
provider (not the
local shop) and
get a valid SIM.

10.Free gifts
This scam usually sees holy men or kids tying a bracelet or red
string around your wrist as a gift. Remember: ‘There are no
such thing as a free lunch’. After tying the so-called gift, they
demand money and it is impossible to get away from this
situation. To avoid this, do not let someone take your hand and
stay at arm’s length from anyone holding such gifts.
11 Rental vehicle fraud
This scam begins just after you rent a Vehicle, later when you return vehicle the person who had
given you vehicle
on rent claimed
that you have
damaged his
vehicle. He
Charged additional
money from you
for repairing
vehicle
Record Video
footage of vehicle
you are renting
also ensure what
documents you are
providing him/her
in exchange of
security.