Pakistan is known for its magnificent scenery and great tourist sites that leaves everyone awestruck with their force of nature. However, there are a handful of scammers wandering in these areas in search of a chance to scam the tourists.
We’ve gathered some of the most common scams every tourist travelling in Pakistan should watch out for!
1. Hotel/Guest Room Bookings
It’s ideal to make reservations for a guest room or a place to lodge when planning to tour in a foreign country. Some lodging destinations claim to have a lot of facilities on the booking websites including 5 or 4 star statuses but they’re just scamming tourists for their own profit. Moreover, the facilities they provide you for your stay don’t even match the amount of money they charge. Always ensure the authenticity of the website before making reservations!
2. Currency Trading
The currency trading scam frequently happens to tourists especially when they don’t know much about your currency. Avoid money exchange through a local merchant. Some salesmen also return fake currency when they see that the tourists they’re dealing with do not have knowledge about Pakistan’s currency. Always learn about the currency of the destination you’re planning to travel to! In addition, get you money exchanged through a reliable resource.
3. Fake Authorities
This type of scam is very common for tourists who visit Pakistan. People pretending to be cops or any other authorized member will stop you and charge you with pointless money such as for a traffic ticket or parking even if they’re totally free. Don’t just pay off anyone unless you ask for their ID and they show you one!
4. Overpriced Food
Food in Pakistan is cheap compared to other countries. But tourists who don’t belong here and aren’t aware of the rates of products sometimes get scammed just for this reason. Whenever you’re buying food from a local shop or stall, always ask its price from the people who’re passing by just to get an idea of whether they’re scamming you or not. However, this hardly happens. Most people just give food off for free and treat you like a guest!
5. Tour-Guides
This is one of the scams that every tourist should be aware of before coming to Pakistan. Tour guides have a purpose – to guide you to places that you want to visit. Sometimes a tour guide will try and dodge you, he/she’ll skip a few places taking advantage of your lack of familiarity with the place. Don’t let the guides fool you. Make a list of places that you’ve paid them to guide you to and check them once you’ve visited them.
6. Fake Souvenirs
Taking something back from a tour as memory is every tourists’ dream. Tourists visit shops and stalls to get souvenirs from Pakistan for themselves, their friends and family. Usually, the souvenirs in local stalls and shop are very cheap. There are a few scammers who charge extra money from the foreigners for the same low-cost products. Try to have a local with you when you go for shopping!
7. Over-priced Transport
For a tourist, using cabs or rickshaws in Pakistan is very common. The local taxi drivers trick the tourists by charging extra money for a ride. Unless you have a local friend or a reliable guide with you, do not opt for this means of transportation; use Uber or Careem instead.
8. Theft
Tourists come across pickpockets and thieves in every country. However, this is one of the biggest scams in Pakistan. Try to stay away from crowded areas while touring in Pakistan and always have company at night to avoid any mishap.
Author: Aqsa Butt (@aqsaaa_buttt)
