Goa is a beautiful beach destination with a chill pace and cheap alcohol. But while on holiday in Goa, you must be careful of people who might be just waiting to scam you out. Some of the more prevalent and frequent frauds one can run into while visiting Goa are the ‘Double Your Money’ scam, ‘Deaf Child Beggars’ scam and Honey Trapping at Massage Parlours. By understanding the scams and how clever they can be, you can avoid them and enjoy your time relaxing on the beaches. In order to have fun and avoid fraud, check out this list of the top tourist scams to watch out for while in Goa.
1. Deaf Child Beggars Scam
First on our list of the top tourist scams to watch out for in Goa is the Deaf Child Beggars scam.
In this scam, you will be approached by a cute young boy/ girl with a sign that reads, “I’m a deaf and orphaned child.” The child will then request money from you to purchase a hearing aid, as stated on the placard. However, if you say “police” in front of that child, the child will begin to flee before even noticing whether a police officer is present or not. This shows that the child is not deaf and that they can hear clearly.
Additionally, they are mostly not even orphans. “What’s the issue if we give them some money, you might ask? They’ll eat fast food or something like that”.
That’s not true, though. Most of these children are coerced into participating in such scams by their parents or immoral organisations that use the proceeds to purchase booze and drugs. The incorrect people will receive your money. Thus, you should disregard these child beggars and not give them any money.
2. International Gem Smuggling Fau
Next on our list of the top tourist scams to watch out for in Goa is the International Gem Smuggling scam. In this scam, you might be approached by a man in a business suit carrying a briefcase filled with gems. This stranger will befriend you and pitch you his idea for making money in a kind and professional manner. He simply requests that you use your duty-free allowance to export the gemstones back to your place of origin. It may initially seem convincing because you don’t have to pay anything. However, after you ship the stones, a “customs officer” will call you and accuse you of breaking the law and will ask you to pay a fine. Your new “friend” will prod you into paying the fine, which is when you’ll get duped.
3. Damaged Car/Bike Scam
Renting a car or a bike is one of the best methods to move around in Goa. However, one must be cautious while renting a vehicle in Goa because there are several frauds that some of the bike/car rental agencies indulge in. The primary one is that you’ll be accused of causing damage to the vehicle and forced to pay exorbitant repair costs. This can be avoided by filming the vehicle before you rent it, including the rental agency. You can then use the video to disprove any untrue claims. Simply by filming the video, you can also stop misleading claims because a business won’t want a bad review of them on YouTube.
4. Honey Trapping at Massage Parlours
Goa is known for its parties and raves, which may cause some tourists to begin looking for services like prostitution or drugs. Some massage parlours in Goa feed on the hopes of such kinds of tourists. They approach young men on the streets by making promises that in addition to a massage, other sexual services will be provided to them. This is only a ruse to persuade you to take a massage from them; you will actually just receive a standard massage or might even become the victim of a honey trapping scam.
5. Double Your Money Scam
And last on our list of the top tourist scams to watch out for while in Goa is the Double Your Money Scam. Everyone is aware of the numerous frauds that take place in India under the pretence of quickly doubling one’s money. You can find this scam on several beaches in Goa.
In this scam, a local may be seen playing cards with ‘foreign tourists’. You’ll notice that these ‘foreign tourists’ (who actually are hand in glove with the local con artists) tend to win more often and quickly quadruple their money. These foreigners also earn money in addition to the local man. The con artist will let you win once or twice at the beginning of the game because it is likely that you will not wager a large sum. Once you become entangled in the con artist’s trap and start betting larger sums, he will start using game-cheating techniques, and you will find yourself losing any additional games. You will also end up running out of money at the end of the game after using up all of your money.
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