By Roadjunky, Posted Nov 26, 2006
Sections: Travel Scams Intro Jewellery and Gems Drugs Gambling Credit Cards and ATM's Kashmiri Scams Colombia Scams The Best Travel Scam in the World Travel Insurance Traveler Cheques Fakes and Forgery Why Not to Scam
The canny traveller works out along the way that a little creativity with papers can go a long way. In places like Tijuana, Paraguay and Bangkok you can get pretty much anything you want openly on the street. Granted, a functioning fake passport would be a little more ambitious but it’s easy to get hold of quality fake college diplomas, TEFL teaching certificates and press passes.
If you didn’t have the time, money or inclination to go to college, well, there’s nothing like investing 5o bucks in an instant education. Maybe it would be risky to try it back home but it will be good enough to get you that teaching job in Asia or Latin America. Also some embassies can be very unreasonable when it comes to giving visas. They demand all kinds of letters and proofs in incomes. Thanks for Photoshop though, it’s a piece of piss to print your own bank statements and letters from employers with fancy letterheads. When it comes to printing your own documentation you might as well steal a letterhead and get a letter saying that you’re a student, too. A quick trip to your local STA branch and you have a card that gets you student discounts on international flights. Officials are always very impressed by bits of paper, especially if they’re in a foreign language with the odd authoritative stamp here or there. If you have to cross any dodgy borders along the way or impress any police that they’re fucking with the wrong traveller. You can offset your long hair and torn clothes with the right collection of letters and qualifications.
