Top tourist scams to avoid, from fake Uber charges to card skimming

It’s no secret that Aussies love to travel — but being in unfamiliar surroundings makes us all vulnerable. Here are some of the most common scams to look out for.

When it comes to travel, there’s no denying that Australia’s love a trip abroad.

But being in unfamiliar surroundings makes us all vulnerable. From a week lapping up the beach life in Bali, to meandering through the streets of Capri – here are some of the most common scams Aussies have encountered overseas.

‘POO ON YOUR SHOE’

I nearly got done by the old “poo on the shoe” trick in India, but luckily I was wearing thongs, so I could just hose ’em off! This didn’t stop them from trying! (Ed’s note: the “poo on the shoe” scam is when a local squirts poo on your shoe from a bottle, then offers to clean your shoes … for a price!) — Lachlan Burnet

BILL SHOCK

We were at a restaurant on the Isle of Capri and pastas were €8 ($13.20) each. We had two pastas and two soft drinks. Then the bill came out — the soft drinks were €6 ($9.90) each! — Pauline Elters

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It wasn't the pasta the left this diner shocked when paying the restaurant bill.

SOFT DRINK SCAM

Outside the gates of the Grand Palace in Bangkok I badly wanted a cold drink so asked the man how much it was, but before I could convert to Australian dollars in my head, he’d opened the can and told me I had to buy it. There was no time to argue as I had to catch up with the group and I desperately needed a drink so I ended up paying $5 for a can. Apparently that area is well known for rip-offs, but most Thais are lovely people. — Janette Heazlewood

UBER CHARGES

In Maui we got an Uber for an agreed $11 fare back to our cruise ship but an hour later I received a message from our bank of suspicious activity on the credit card of additional Uber charges. It turned out the driver had added three other transactions of “cleaning”. Eventually we got our money refunded from Uber. Thankfully we always travel with more than one credit card. — Belinda Tol-Jones

One traveller got scammed while in an Uber.

CARD HACKING

My travel cash passport card was hacked on the first day of our holiday. I had to fall back on our credit card and it did put a dampener on the holiday. — Carol Mason

CARD SKIMMERS

I paid for a taxi by credit card to get us to Singapore Airport. They’d put a skimmer on the card reader and they bought hundreds of dollars of electronics from China. — Leanne Strauss

It goes without saying – always be mindful when using a credit card abroad.

TOURIST TAX

In Italy, there’s two prices — the locals price and the tourist price. — Bob James

STILL WAITING

I bought some shoes in Hoi An in Vietnam. They arrived at the hotel and were too small, so the lady she said she would be back. She got on her motorcycle and I’m still waiting. — Judi Shevlin

This article originally appeared on Escape and has been republished with permission