Avoiding Trouble on Your Gap Year

Trouble can take many forms, and the most common have to do with money. You have it, and other people want it. Whether it’s a con artist, beggar or pickpocket, you’re bound to run into them as an affluent white traveller. But be careful, you could end up short ten pounds, lose all your money, or even end up in jail.

Con artists prey on naïve tourists, and they’re very good at what they do. Scams range from simple pick pocketing manoeuvres to amazingly complicated and lengthy lies. They can rely simply on their ability to persuade or take your money by force. No matter what, getting involved with petty criminals is never a good idea, and it’s best to just avoid them. Here’s how…

Common tricks

Distractions- A very simple trick done by several people working together, one of them causes a distraction while another nicks your wallet.
Get rich quick schemes- Con artists prey on greed, so they offer to sell you something at an unbelievably low price that you can mark up for sale at home. It’s almost always worthless, and even if it’s not, it’s probably stolen.
Impersonators- Some scams involve impersonating police officers and charging you a fine or stealing your luggage. They can also impersonate a volunteer collecting money for a fake charity, or someone you would normally give money to, such as a bus driver or hotel clerk.
Drug trafficking- Whether done with or without your consent, this is never a good idea and leads to dire consequences- you’ve surely heard the horror stories. Don’t take a free plane ticket in exchange for carrying a package and always keep an eye on your stuff.
Rewards- Some common cons involve rewards for finding lost property. The con artist offers to share the reward with you, if you give him half and then go claim the rest.
Three-card Monte- A simple card game consisting of choosing one card from three face down cards. The dealer aims to build up your confidence by letting you win a few times, until he raises the stakes and takes all your money.
Short-changing- This is common in street vendors and at unauthorized currency exchange. Be familiar with the currency and count your change when it’s given to you.
Phishing- This is a way of getting credit card information. A can artist poses as an employee at the hotel or other business and asks you to “verify” your credit card information.

General traits

Many cons exhibit many similar characteristics. The con artist first gains your trust, either in a few minutes or over a course of days. They take advantage of your weaknesses, usually greed or desperation, but sometimes even your virtues, such as faith and compassion. They can be pushy and persistent and usually demand money right away. Often they propose deals that sound too good to be true or get rich quick schemes, usually in a secretive and unprofessional manner (which is best to steer clear from anyway to avoid trouble with the law). Often cons are hurried and don’t allow you time to think it through. That’s because if you did, you’d see right through it.

How to avoid them

To avoid pickpockets and thieves, keep your money close to your body, in a money belt/purse, a tight front pocket or- ladies- in your bra. Never put your money in your back pocket. And always keep an eye, and usually a hand, on your luggage. Don’t get distracted even for a moment, in fact, if there is a distraction, make sure to keep an even sharper eye on your stuff.

The simple rule of thumb to avoid cons is to be very careful who you trust. Be informed, use common sense and don’t be persuaded to act in a hurry. Take your time and don’t give your money away until you have thought about it, because in retrospect, buying a video camera sight unseen was a really stupid idea. Don’t participate in any sort of get rich quick scheme. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Getting ripped off

It’s extremely common for locals to prey on the naivety of tourists. While tourists often have to pay more than the locals do, there is a difference between slight inflation and blatant rip-off. This is particularly prevalent in taxis. To avoid getting ripped off, just be informed. They can’t rip you off if you know how much something is supposed to cost. Speak up- say that that’s too expensive and refuse to pay until they give you a fair price. It’s often helpful to pay attention to what the locals do and how much they have to pay.

Beggars

It is hard to ignore beggars, especially children, but it really is the best thing to do. Once people realise that tourists will give money, they will begin to exploit them. This often means that the people who are begging aren’t the ones that are really homeless, or that they use begging as an alternative to finding a job. There are many instances of people who beg at tourist destinations and then drive home at the end of the day. There is also a prevalence of gangs, body mutilation and drugs.

Think about it- if a child is begging on the street, he’s not in school. Many children realise they can earn money this way, abandoning their education and family, until one day they’re too old to be pitied and then really are homeless and uneducated. A child either abandons his family in favour of tourist handouts or is forced on the street by his family as a source of income. Either way, it’s not beneficial for the child.

It’s really hard to deny a destitute child a few coins, but it is the best solution in the long run. If you want to help, it’s better to at least give food rather than money. Or offer to pay them for their services, such as a tour of the city, giving them the opportunity to work for their money. Or probably the best idea is to donate money to a local charity that helps to alleviate poverty. Ask the local people what they do. They can often tell you who the legitimate beggars are and who are the actors, and can tell you what the best way to help the area’s homeless.