{"id":868,"date":"2021-02-21T22:11:45","date_gmt":"2021-02-21T22:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/se-asias-relatively-untouched-destinations-you-cant-miss-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-03-23T02:15:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T02:15:40","slug":"keep-an-eye-out-for-these-5-scams-in-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/keep-an-eye-out-for-these-5-scams-in-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep An Eye Out for These 5 Scams in Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"868\" class=\"elementor elementor-868\" data-elementor-settings=\"[]\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-51093c1 elementor-section-height-min-height elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed 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class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Keep An Eye Out for These 5 Scams in Asia<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7a8ff65 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"7a8ff65\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-3ad4b37 elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/author\/nova\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img class=\"elementor-avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/09411a63f0e665c5b52fef21689ca3ae?s=96&amp;d=mm&amp;r=g\" alt=\"Cedrick Okiorina\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-author\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCedrick Okiorina\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-3a13e8f elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/2021\/02\/21\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-calendar\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 21, 2021\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7997e0d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7997e0d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b831ed3\" data-id=\"b831ed3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e5404a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"e5404a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4e56bbb8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4e56bbb8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-432218e9\" data-id=\"432218e9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-165516e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"165516e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-text-editor elementor-clearfix\"><div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wherever you go in the world, as a foreigner, you\u2019ll be susceptible to scams. I\u2019ve actually fallen for two throughout my entire traveling life &#8211; so far &#8211; which included:<\/span><\/p><ol><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Someone taking my phone while I was on a sleeping bus traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being way overcharged and forced to pay a ridiculous price for a taxi in Moscow<\/span><\/li><\/ol><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while sometimes the key is to really just remain vigilant and\/or to keep your things extra-secure, there definitely are a few things you need to keep a keen eye out for and know about before heading off on\u00a0 your next overseas adventure. So without further adieu, these are some of the more common scams experienced in Asia so you can be fully aware of whether you\u2019re about to get scammed!<\/span><\/p><h2><b><i>Taxis\/Drivers<\/i><\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be honest, this definitely isn\u2019t specific to Asia. Around the world, it seems, taxis are scamming people out of their hard-earned money. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/5-top-spots-across-eastern-europe\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I was in Moscow<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I hopped into a \u201ctaxi\u201d who told me he could take me to Red Square for 200 roubles but when we got there he demanded 1000 roubles &#8211; threatening me with not just violence but also going to the police to have it sorted out (which I thought might have introduced a corruption factor I wasn\u2019t ready to face) so I ended up just paying to get out and forget about it all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anyway, make sure before you put anything into the cab or agree to anything at all, they are OK with using a meter instead of a specific price. If this is absolutely, 100% not possible and there are zero meters in any of the taxis, ask them how much first and barter to your best ability (go <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">really <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">low against their first offer, too). If possible, chat with a local before you start haggling to ask how much your route should be worth roughly.<\/span><\/p><h2><b><i>Money Exchange<\/i><\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting scammed\/ripped off when exchanging currency is pretty much a rite of passage, even when you\u2019re going to a huge bank. Conversion rates are often pretty ridiculous, and lots of places will actually charge you a certain amount <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on top of <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it all. But there are also a couple of other ways you can get scammed if you go to a street exchanger.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, you might receive either fake currency or ripped currency. If it\u2019s ripped, at least it\u2019s obvious and you can return it to ask for a new one. It\u2019s always best to have a good look through each of the notes to see if there\u2019s anything at all you notice that\u2019s off about them.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, a lot of them are really good at sleight of hand and counting through the cash; they\u2019ll do it in front of you and count out each of the bills and then hand it all over. To make sure they haven\u2019t sneakily pocketed a few of those bills, count them all out yourself on your side of the glass to double-check.<\/span><\/p><h2><b><i>Bus Thefts<\/i><\/b><\/h2><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have to include this because, as mentioned earlier, it happened to me while I was traveling in Thailand and I\u2019ve heard it happen to other people throughout Asia on bus trips. A bit about my experience, though.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019d been awake for about 30 hours\u2019 straight by the time I hopped on the bus in Bangkok to take me to Chiang Mai. While I heard about this scam and did my absolute best to stay awake, I succumbed to my tiredness and fell fast asleep. Waking up, I checked my gear and nothing looked out of place at all so I thought I\u2019d escaped being a target\u2026 until I arrived at my hotel and realised my phone wasn\u2019t there anymore. Lucky for me though, it was a super-cheap Nokia I bought specifically for bringing with me on my travels, but still.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be sure to stay hyper-vigilant while you\u2019re on a bus. If you\u2019re traveling alone and it\u2019s impossible to keep your eyes open the whole way, though, get a few small locks and lock\u00a0 all your gear up.<\/span><\/p><\/div><p><!-- \/wp:image --><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-438cdbd elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"438cdbd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Keep An Eye Out for These 5 Scams in Asia Wherever you go in the world, as a foreigner, you\u2019ll be susceptible to scams. I\u2019ve actually fallen for two throughout my entire traveling life &#8211; so far &#8211; which included: Someone taking my phone while I was on a sleeping bus traveling from Bangkok to&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/keep-an-eye-out-for-these-5-scams-in-asia\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Keep An Eye Out for These 5 Scams in Asia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1241,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868\/revisions\/1241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cedricokiorina.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}