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 Millionaire’s Ride Scam
The following scams can happen anywhere but are particularly common in Colombia, a country where the hustlers have become very adept at the art of the con.
One of them is the straight forward viaje de millionario, the millionaire’s ride. A traveller hails a taxi in the street but it turns out to be an unlicensed one. Instead of taking him to the airport or the hotel, they turn down a backstreet and out to some waste ground. There they meet some friends of the taxi driver with a good collection of knives.
This scam also happens in Mexico City a lot and hopefully the traveller has enough sense not to look at any of his hustlers so that they leave him his eyes.
The Knock Out Drops Scam
The next scam is a favourite with prostitutes but it can happen in any bar. A traveller gets talking to someone, maybe a local who comes on pretty strongly and leaves his drink unattended while he goes to the bar. When he comes back he’s invited to go to a hotel and he obeys without thinking much about it.
The next morning the traveller wakes up with the worst liver poisoning in his life – his drink was spiked with a drug that induces a compliant stupor and then unconsciousness.
Never leave a drink unattended.
Impersonating Cops Scam
In Bogota it’s not uncommon for backpackers to be accosted in La Candaleria district by men claiming to be police. A quick show of fake identification and the ‘police’ demand to see the travellers’ papers. They pull the whole psychological intimidation a bit further and then declare that the papers are not in order and a special tax has to be paid.
PLanting Cocaine Scam
Then there’s always the planted drugs scam. We know a traveller who was drinking with in a bar in Cali and having a good time with his new friends. The girls went home but he went to sit in the park and have another beet with a guy from Panama that he’d met.
Suddenly, from nowhere arrived two cops and declared that they were going to search him for drugs. He wasn’t too worried as he never took more than a few beers but to is horror the cops pulled a small bag of coke out of his trouser pocket. The Panamanian had planted it there.
“Very bad, my friend!” The cops gurgled, “Fifteen years in Colombian jail – very bad for a gringo!”
The traveller started to sweat pretty badly and couldn’t believe it when the cops demanded $20,000 baksheesh to let him go. He gave them the fifty bucks he had on him and said the rest was back in his hotel room.
“So we go to your hotel – better for you if you have the money, gringo!”
They walked along the night streets, the cops jeering all the time and the Panamanian acting like he was surprised and advising the traveller to pay. He was quite a resourceful type though and he took them to a different hotel. They waited outside while he went in and he walked up and explained to the receptionist that he was in trouble.
“Is there a back door here?”
Fortunately, the receptionist was sympathetic and gestured towards a back exit. He left the hotel and had to climb over three garden walls before he found himself back in the street. Turning the corner he saw the cops and the guy from Panama waiting outside the hotel, exchanging uncertain looks.
He flew out of Cali the next day.
